#i knew for certain a death was coming but I wasn't ready for it anyway

[nomattertheoceans]

When you're reading a post apocalyptic book where half the main characters have died in horrific circonstances, and you're still surprised and devastated when yet another character dies in horrific circonstances.

[ferrstappen]

max, the wag (for the third time) l Max Verstappen x reader

a/n: i was in the middle of writing this when news of Danny coming back to the grid!!! omg I'm so happy of seeing RIC and listening to his radios and everything, it wasn't the same without him <3

also, about requests. Please keep sending them, I've LOVED all the reqs I've gotten but right now im getting ready for my bar exam in a couple of weeks so my time is super super limited, but I promise I'll get to most of them (bc imsorry there are some reqs that I really can't connect with) after the exam, it's one of the things I'm looking forward to <3 but for now this kind of mediocre story telling will have to do...

ANYWAY, HOPE YOU LIKE THIS INSTALLMENT! you can find part 1 and 2 on the master list <3

summary: the continuation of your favorite paddock couple.

Max arrived to the track by himself.

If he was being honest, it wasn’t on his plans to walk alone with the photographers, Red Bull marketing team snatching him for stuff right after he swapped his credential. Even from far away he was able to hear chants of fans and more media than usual. 

But you weren’t right there next to him. 

He knew it wasn’t your fault, Silverstone not being a track where he was usually welcomed with opened arms and he was aware of you not wanting to be too in the eye of photographers who didn’t make questions to you, but there still were different WAGs and outfits or whatever accounts tracking your every step, especially with the new wave of partners and sudden break ups and polemics. 

Still, the selfish part of him wanted you to enter the track with him, even if it was a few steps ahead or behind him, holding your hand and smiling as you complained about the amount of credentials you had to carry: the usual green VIP Paddock, Red Bull something. You’d think after all these years they’d know me, you’d say and he’d laugh.

On the other hand, you finished getting ready and called the front desk to get a taxi to get there, feeling a bit guilty of letting Max go on his own, especially when there were more eyes on the track with Brad Pitt being there and a lot of important people who’d want to talk with him all day. 

Texting Max to let him know you were already by the guests entrance waiting when you noticed some intense flashes getting near. You’d been around a time or two to know this wasn’t usual, maybe in Miami but not when you were on the abandoned back entrance, not very glamorous and low key. 

But you saw her…

Shakira, are you visiting Lewis?

Who are you cheering today?

Shakira, third Grand Prix of the year! 

Did you talk to Lewis before? Is he nervous?

Your eyes followed her, mouth opening when you followed her small frame, exuding class and sympathy, even Alexandra who was also making her entrance stopped to get a closer look of the Colombian bombshell. 

Of course, they didn’t ask her to show and get accredited, she just walked by with a radiant smile leaving paparazzi behind as she kept talking with the friend she came with. 

But wasn’t that a Haas credential?

It didn’t matter, it wasn’t important, because right then your brain made the connections and started dialing Max while nervously biting your polished nails. 

“Baby, everything okay? Are you already inside?” Max answered, but his words were quiet and rushed. 

“Yes, but you’re never going to believe…”

“I’m sorry we have a meeting, please don’t go to the paddock, go straight to the driver’s lounge, okay? Love you” 

He hung up and you wanted to pull your hair out, knowing he is the one and only person you wanted to share this information with, and you were also certain he was the only person who would truly appreciate the gossip and speculation about his fellow driver’s love life. 

Max was able to leave the meeting almost forty minutes later, getting outside for some air until he remembered your call and that you probably were bored to death on the lounge. He was turning around to go there when…

When he saw the one and only Shakira in all of her glory. 

He wasn’t starstruck or anything, being immune to celebrities and the imaginary pedestal where most people placed them, but this wasn’t about that, it was about the way she was supposedly hiding under a cap walking towards the Mercedes garage.

He covered his mouth and hastily made his way to you. 

You didn’t greet each other with the usual peck on the lips and short hug; his slightly widened blue eyes told you exactly what you needed to know as he opened the door to his small room. 

“Please tell me that you saw her!” You said as soon as he closed the door. 

“Yes, just now she was walking to Mercedes,” Max was whisper shouting as if someone would hear him and it was the highest of secrets. 

“Did you see Lewis?” You asked Max but he said no. “What if you try to ask Brad Pitt if he saw her and like if they’re friends… with Shakira?” This time both you and your boyfriend laughed at the idea.

"I did see Sainz trying to go unnoticed with a tall brunette,do you think she is the new girlfriend?" Max asked and you nodded.

"I'm pretty sure he cheated on Isa with her, and I am almost certain she was in the Paddock Club in Monaco during qualifying," Max whistled at the new information.

Now he kissed you, lips fitting perfectly against each other, but your eyes suddenly opened and separated from him. What? Why? What happened? Max was disconcerted. 

“Please don’t laugh at me because this is a serious idea…” You told Max who had your entire attention. “What if we write to Deuxmoi?”

“Deux what?”

“They have all the inside scoops  and sightings, even your name’s popped up once or twice,” Max’s eyebrows rose at the information. “We should write that Shakira was seen on the British Grand Prix and I am one hundred percent sure someone will have more information!” You proposed and Max chuckled.

“Schatz, I can just ask Lewis why she’s here,” Max told you before embracing you, his arms circled around your waist.

You rolled your eyes before resting your head on his chest, but suddenly it hit you, swiftly lifting your head and facing Max. 

“Then why haven’t you asked him yet?!”

[jasntodds]

Alive | J.T.

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Request: yes, here

Summary: Red Hood shows up at your apartment only to reveal he's your not-so-dead boyfriend

Warnings: Swearing, 18+, smut, some fluff, mentions of death, mentions of canon drug use (he's not actually high in this but it's mentioned)

Words: 3,412

A/n: A huge thank you to @tenpintsof-sundrop for the idea 😭 please go check them out if you haven't already!! This kept turning into angst (why can't I just write fluff and smut ffs) which is why it took forever I'm so sorry to the anon who requested this lol but there's no angst!! If you wanna be tagged in my fics, you can click the link below, send me an ask/comment, or follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary and turn on notifications if you prefer that!!

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Gotham’s city lights are the only thing illuminating parts of your room where your curtains don’t quite close all of the way. The sounds of distant sirens and passing cars echo into your room as you’re finally getting some much-needed sleep. Bruce called you three days ago with the news about Jason. Nothing really seems worth the energy anymore, including sleep but tonight it’s as if your body finally caved under the pressure of grief. But, you’re not asleep long before something wakes you up.

You stir awake to the sound of creaking near the window. Your eyes shoot open as you keep on your side, facing the opposite direction. Your heart starts to thunder and you swear you locked that window. It’s Crime Alley in Gotham City, you always lock your door and window. Jason even got you good locks for your window and your door. Someone can’t possibly be breaking in but that’s the only explanation. 

You reach to the side of the bed, slowly, careful not to make quick and harsh movements so whoever is in your home doesn’t realize you’re awake. The metal of the baseball is cold against the palm of your hand as your fingers curl around the handle. It’s not a knife or a gun, but a metal baseball can kill and incapacitate all the same. All you need is one really good swing and you’re good to go. So, you suck on a deep breath, gripping the handle as hard as you can before you sit up quickly, turning around on your knees to face the intruder.

“Get out of my apartment!” You yell, baseball bat swung over your shoulder with your arms ready to swing the second he comes close enough.

He takes a step forward into the light coming from your window and your heart drops. 

Red Hood.

Why the fuck is Red Hood, Gotham’s newest crime lord, standing in your apartment?

“Don’t freak out.” He says, the voice modulator disguising his voice.

You almost laugh at the request. He’s killing people out there and is ruthless but he doesn’t want you to freak out when he’s standing in your bedroom? That makes perfect sense. And why does it have to be your apartment? There are so many other ones he could have picked but it just had to be yours.

Jason is careful as he takes the helmet off, revealing himself to you. Your eyes grow wide as your jaw starts to fall open. Jason can see your grip on the bat start to loosen as his chest starts to swell. He always questioned your choice of a baseball bat, thinking you'd never wake up with enough time to grab it and defend yourself. He's happy he was clearly very wrong.

“You…you died…?” You question, almost certain you’re dreaming.

Bruce Wayne himself called you and told you Jason had been killed. You knew he was Robin and it was all over Gotham City News. Robin had been killed by the Joker. But, Jason Todd is currently standing in front of you, his chest moving with every breath which means he's alive.

He's desperately trying not to think about dying. That's not why he came here anyway. It wasn't to discuss the gorey details of a deranged clown with a bloody crowbar. It was just to see you and let you know he was alive. That is it. No more reminders of dying, not tonight. Not when he isn't high enough to numb the panic or pain of the thoughts. All he wants to do is see you and exist in a moment with just you and him.

“Didn’t stick.” Jason chuckles softly, holding the helmet on his hip.

There’s something Jason would describe as a chortle escapes your lips. “Didn’t stick?”

Jason shrugs his shoulder easily but there’s still some tension wrapped around his bones. “Yeah.” Jason clears his throat, looking to the floor and then back to you, thinking you probably don't believe him. Who would?

“How though?” You ask and you’re not sure how this is real.

Maybe you think you’re actually hallucinating now. Maybe grief has sucked you into insanity. But he sounds just as you remember and he looks the exact same. Jason dying and coming back as Red Hood, still fighting crime in some way, does sound like a very Jason Todd thing to do.

“Gotham.” Jason scoffs. “It’s a long story.” Jason skimps on the details, partially because he doesn’t really know how it works and also just to keep you out of it. He didn’t really like that you knew he was Robin anyway. Too dangerous.

Jason takes a step forward as you watch him closely. Maybe it’s a dream. But, it’s Gotham City and the weirdest and most unbelievable shit tends to happen here.  Jason being resurrected isn’t actually the most insane thing you’ve heard of happening. It's just one of those things that's hard to believe because losing him hurt so bad you swore you'd never recover. You want to be positive it's him before you let your hopes up even if they're rising like a steady tide. Jason can see the hesitance the way your brows are still creased and the bat still hanging over your shoulder.

“Not convinced?” He asks through a shallow breath, his own hopes falling.

He didn't really think of what he'd do if you didn't believe him.

“In my defense, this is insane.” You state as your grip tightens on the bat. "I mean, resurrection or being zombified, kind of insane."

Jason lets out a sigh as he starts listing things only he would know about you and only things you would know about him. He tells you about your first date which wasn’t anything fancy but was yours. He told you about how he has his half of a photobooth picture you two took on your third date as a bookmark. And he tells you about Alred teaching him how to make chocolate chip cookies his first week at Wayne Manor because Jason couldn’t sleep. It was too quiet in the manor.

“I also told you the bat was a shitty idea because you’d never wake up in time to grab it.” Jason offers a smirk.

“Guess you were wrong.” You point out with a teasing look.

“Yeah,” Jason scoffs. “But you didn’t take a swing so…” Jason shrugs his shoulders, a grin splitting his face.

“Haha.” You scrunch your nose with the sarcastic remark. "I'm not gonna just hit someone with a bat." You shake your head dramatically.

"I broke into your apartment?" Jason lets out a chortle "I mean, don't fucking hit me now but someone breaks in, do something, babe."

"Oh, it must really be you because only Jason Todd would criticize my weapon of choice and then criticize what I do about someone breaking in my own apartment." You quip right back as you place a hand on your hip, the bat now hanging loosely over your shoulder being held with just one hand.

Jason's smirk turns softer, a gentle smile pulling at his lips as he looks to the floor and then back to you. "Yeah, it's me." His shoulders move forward as he sucks in a breath, letting it out slowly as if the very act of breathing too hard might make all of this disappear.

Your face softens and as hard as it may be to believe, it has to be him. Everything he listed is all stuff only the two of you would know and the quick quips, Jason never missed a beat. You don't know how or even why he's alive, but it's him. So, you drop the bat to the side of your bed, quickly getting up from your bed. You don't notice how cold the floor is as you run up to Jason, colliding into him with a force study enough to make him step back just so neither of you wall.

Your arms wrap around his neck as you bury your face into his shoulder. He smells different than before but somehow the same. He smells like gunmetal with a mix of the minty shampoo he always used. But, his arms come and wrap tightly around your middle and it all feels the same. His arms are still as sturdy as always and warm. He still feels like home and you do for him, too.

His chest erupts in warmth like a dormant volcano erupting for the time in decades. Every piece of him starts to be encompassed in warmth and a sense of comfort. It's been the longest three days of his life but that doesn't really matter, not right now. It just feels safe here. Between coming back, the drug, and Crane, it's been busy and hectic and heavy. But, he's standing here with you and all he wants to do is focus on this moment because it's not so heavy or loud anymore. You always let him just exist in a way no one else ever did.

Jason's the one that pulls away first but only until you look back at him. The corner of his mouth perks up before he collides his lips with yours. The kiss nearly sucks the breath out of your lungs as your eyes close and your hands tangle in his hair. Jason's grip tightens around you as if he's afraid you'll fall away from him if he lets go.

You can feel him smile against your mouth and it's something that always sent your stomach swirling. Jason Todd genuinely happy is something irreplaceable. And he is always happy to be anywhere near you.

The kiss starts to grow sloppy and desperate, teeth clacking against each other. The happiness of being reunited starts to collide into relief and desperation to never let go again.

Jason's arms loosen just enough to go to your hips, his fingertips sliding under your shirt and digging into your flesh. He's missed the feeling of your skin against his. It's been three days but dying really has made it seem like it's been years and he doesn't want to waste the time he gets anymore. All he wants to do is be with you and you slide his jacket, then hoodie off of the armor.

"Miss me?" Jason asks against your lips and you can feel the devilish smirk that's splitting his face.

"Always." You mutter before Jason tugs your shirt over your head and tosses it to the floor.

In a heartbeat, Jason has you backing up until your knees hit the edge of your bed. The two of you fall onto the soft mattress, Jason bracing the fall for the both you and his lips never leave yours. He slides his leg onto the bed, slotting his knee between your legs right until his thigh meets your wetting slit.

You almost groan at the contact and Jason feels the tremble of your lips against his. And he fucking smirks again.

"Seems like you missed something else, too, huh?" His voice is low but easy with the teasing remark.

"Shut up." You bite back.

It's something about the way he says it that you almost want to bite him and melt under his touch at the same time. Jason has never been one to just let things flow and meet in the middle, he always had to have some sort of comment about it with the corner of his mouth perking upwards. He just can't help himself and maybe you always found it a little bit endearing, even when he's annoying.

Jason pushes his thigh against your slit again and this time he's successful in getting a quiet moan from the back of your throat. The pressure is hot and thick as your underwear start to stick to your pussy. You grind yourself on his thigh and Jason knows he has you exactly where he wants you, not that you would rather be anywhere else right now.

You help Jason tug the armor off and onto the floor, leaving his chest bare and every toned muscle on display. Your mouth practically waters before you yank him back down to you.

He keeps his leg slotted between yours as you slide your hands over the muscles of his back, feeling every raised piece of skin where his back is tensed. His skin is always warm under your fingers. You can't help but glide your fingertips along the skin before digging your nails in.

Jason arches his back, a snarl leaving his throat before his eyes lock with yours. His pupils are blown, black consuming almost every trace of green. So, you do it again as a smirk tugs at your lips because you know that'll get him going. The look he gives you turns feral and hungry as if he hasn't eaten in weeks.

His thigh is pushed harder against your slit, earning him a whimper before he takes it away entirely. There's a triumphant smile on his lips as he raises his brow.

"I can still play the game better than you, babe." Jason teases before he kisses your cheek and moves down to your neck.

"Up for debate." You quip back as his teeth graze your pulse point.

Your heart jumps and you know he can feel it. A snicker falls from his lip before he nips down and starts sucking a purple mark into your skin. A reminder that you're his.

Jason slides his leg back between yours and as if connected by a magnetic force, you don't miss a beat in grinding yourself back on him. Jason scatters just a few more marks across your chest as your breathing becomes quicker, a warm and static pit growing in the pit of your stomach.

"Could just leave now." Jason huffs as he comes back to your lips, sliding a hand between your bodies.

"Don't you dare." Your threat is weak and almost pitiful.

Jason tugs the elastic of your underwear up, exposing your pussy to some of the cool air in the room. You wiggle against him, desperate to feel more than just his thigh. But, then he snaps the elastic back, making you jerk forward and let out a displeased whimper.

"Jay." You scold, a hollowed glare on your face as his face fills with amusement. "Come on." You whine, pushing yourself against his thigh as your hands trail from his back and to the zipper of his pants.

"Since you asked nicely." Jason offers you a toothy grin before he sits up.

Jason reaches for a condom from your nightstand before tugging his pants down and sliding it on. His hands come to your thighs, pulling you to the edge where he can position himself right up to your leaking slit. He nearly licks his lips as he slides a finger through your folds.

"All for me?" Jason asks with a confidence that makes you want to burn from the inside out.

You almost tease him back but you know if you do, he might just plop down next to you and get himself off.

"I missed you." You stick out your bottom lip, offering him a pout.

A rumble comes through his chest as he moves his finger to your clit. You lose all bite and snark from your words as the rest of the room melts away. It's been the longest three days of his life and he's missed you, too.

It's more than this that he misses. You always had a way of making any place feel like home. You always got him to feel comfortable in his own skin even when his own mind was running away with damaged versions of himself. And he's missed the way you go back and forth with him. A lot of people find him obnoxious and sure, you do, too sometimes but you still go back and forth. He's missed the way you always smile at him, with something like warm and kind. It's a relief being alive again, but it's also a relief getting to see you again.

"I missed, you, too." Jason finally says and he pulls his finger away.

Jason grabs his throbbing length in his fist, pumping himself a few times before he lines himself up with your pussy. He pushes forward, slow and steady as he rests a hand beside your head, holding his weight up. You turn your head, offering his forearm a kiss and the feral look in his eyes softens.

As he bottoms out, Jason places his other hand on the other side of your head, bending down to offer a soft kiss to your lips. His chest is heaving, moving rapidly but his lips are gentle against yours.

You slide your hands into his hair and instead of tugging, you wrap your fingers around the messy strands gently, as if happy to have him near you. Jason pulls out and then pushes back in, keeping up a steady rhythm as the two of you seem to savor the moment with each other.

He showed up as Red Hood. In the back of your head, you know he'll probably leave after this. He's not injured and he didn't seem upset. It's not really late which means he probably has something to do after this. Maybe that raises a lump in your throat for a split second because he's Red Hood.

It's not that Jason Todd magically came back from the dead and he's here again. It's that Jason Todd was murdered as Robin and then came back from the dead to be Red Hood, pick up being a vigilante just a more brutal and ruthless version of one. Being a vigilante is dangerous, as was proven just this week but Jaon comes back to go right back in the game. That part is scary.

Your heart skips as you kiss him back and you'll always be worried as he goes out there. Knowing it'll happen again. But, there is a part of you that admires him for it. He gets murdered and instead of quitting, he comes back to fight harder. Maybe that's completely insane but it is admirable. And you're proud of him for it. Worried, sure, but proud of him. So, you savor the way his lips are chapped against yours and the way his thrusts start to become a little quicker and desperate.

"Missed you." Jason mutters against your lips, his voice raspy and staggered.

"I missed you, too." Your voice is caught between a whimper and a whine.

Jason slides his hand between the two of you, finding your clit. His finger is gentle against the bud as your eyes roll back. He quickens his movements, matching the speed of his thrusts. A pit grows deeper in his own stomach as he nips your lip between his teeth.

He gets a low moan from you and he nearly finishes right then and there, his hips almost stalling. But, he recovers quickly, moving his finger in the way that always got you to unravel.

Your hands move to his back, nails digging in as the pressure feeling grows, echoing into your legs and down to your feet. He's pistoning out of you, the sound of skin on skin mixing with your moans and his groans fill the room. You tug him closer to you as you wrap your legs around his waist.

"Jay." You manage to get out as your throat feels like it's closing.

The room spins and Jason is relentless, knowing you're close. You can feel yourself pulsing around his length and you think your head might explode while your heart shoots out of your chest.

"Gonna cum over my cock for me, princess?" Jason drawls, his breath hot against your lips before he moves back to your neck.

"Uh-huh." You sputter out feeling the stars start in the back of your head.

His name falls from your lips loudly and sharply as everything around you explodes into static and stars. Your toes curl as everything starts to shake and convulse against Jason's length. The squeezing of his length sends him falling right off the edge with you, biting down on your neck as the orgasm rips through his body.

Jason works you both through your highs, slowly sitting up but keeping himself inside of you once your legs fall from his waist. He gives you this smile that's a contrast between cheeky and gentle. He bends down and presses a kiss to your forehead, earning a tired but loving smile from you.

"Thanks for stopping by, Jay." Your voice is hoarse but soft.

"Can make it a habit." Jason's grin turns into a smirk, but there's a softness in his eyes.

"Uh-huh, okay, Jay." You roll your eyes, kissing him back.

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[serialkilluh1996]

❀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒❀

Stu Macher x Nerdy-male-reader

Stu is a very pushy boyfriend, but this time, he's pushed his fucking luck and crossed a line.

Warnings: Angst, death, slight gore, multiple mentions of SA, arguing, contact me if I need to add more.

Proshippers, Comshippers DNI

It wasn't hard making friends when it came to you. Yeah, you were a considerably nerdy guy who preferred to stay home and watch movies and read, and you certainly weren't some dashing Adonis who had a way with words, but you had a certain style, a strange charisma, that attracted people to you.

It's how you met, or, as people call it, "bagged" your boyfriend, Stu. He was a pretty fun guy. Always optimistic, and down to just about anything. The issue with him was boundaries. He had a bad habit of trying to push past yours.

Like now, for example. Throwing on some old orange flannel he'd given you as a gift, tightening the belt on your light boot cut jeans to with mild irritation to get ready for one of Stu's parties.

You hated parties. He knew this, but somehow, he always managed to manipulate you into going. With his pouty lips, his cartoonishly sad voices, and his puppy eyes, there was almost nothing he couldn't get you to do for him.

You knew this, and you never did much to resist. Cognitive dissonance, really.

"I don't know what you see in that clown." Your friend, and Stu's number one hater, Clyde scolds you, standing in the doorway of your bedroom as you get dressed. "It's not for you to see. It's for me to see. That's why he's my boyfriend." You joke, tying your shoes.

"I don't trust him, dude. He doesn't really respect you." He leans against the doorframe. "He respects me." You retort, standing up. "Until he doesnt get what he wants." Clyde raises an eyebrow. "I don't need you to be my dating coach."

"I'm not trying to be your dating coach, I'm trying to be your friend. And as your friend, I'm supposed to be supportive and honest with you. I've been supportive already, and now it's time to be honest. He's not good for you. He's slowly but surely pushing your boundaries and one of these days he's gonna convince you to do something you REALLY don't wanna do." Clyde sits up as you walk past him and out of your room.

"☆☆☆, I'm serious," he follows behind you, "the party may seem like a small inconvenience, but he's only doing small things first to test your layers."

You grab your car keys, ignoring his words. "You know, I don't need this right now." You turn around. "No, ☆☆☆. You need this a lot more than you think." Clydes eyes squint with anticipation. "I'll go with you." He offers. "To third wheel my date?" You tease him.

"Oh, puh-lease. It's a party. He'll never suspect me anyway. I'll just... keep my distance. But I'm not letting you go alone to some drug infested fuckfest full of college boys with little to no morals so he can spike your drink and let God knows who do God knows what to you." He stands in front of the door.

You wince at his words. "Yikes, Clyde. I get being concerned but you're getting too comfortable with these accusations."

"You're right, you're right. I went too far. But still, just let me go with you." Clyde begs. You sigh. "Get in the car and don't say another word about him." He nods in compliance as you both walk out, locking the door behind you.

You fold your arms as you walk past all the pre-inebriated. "Ugh, the party started twenty minutes ago and these people are already high as a kite." He pouts.

"POOKIE!" Stu yells out, tackling you with a hug that you don't return as your arms are folded. "Seriously, Stu?" You raise a brow.

"Don't be such a downer, honeybun. It's a par-tayyy. You need to let loose." He boops your nose. "Hey, Clyde." He says flatly, rubbing a hand across his face. Clyde frowns. "The fuck off me." He swats his hands. "Youch, Clyde. Still sore because I asked first?"

"Asked what first?" You ask, Clyde looking ready to burst. "Come onnn. I wanna show you somethin'." He pulls you towards the stares. "But, Clyde–" "Clyyyyde can wait." He kisses your forehead, pulling you along up the stairs.

Clyde pouts as he takes you away, struggling to hold back frustration as he knew what was about to go down. Stu didn't deserve you. He storms past some unlucky lady, causing her to slightly spill her drink as he slides into the garage.

He grabs a beer out of the fridge, bringing it to his mouth and slurping it down with only a quarter of his usual manners. "Fuck!" He exclaims, throwing the glass down and watching it shatter and fizz with the beer. It wasn't fair. He's wanted you so long. He's respectful, supportive, he adores you. And you choose some skeezer like Stu.

And just when he thought his luck couldn't get any worse, his phone rang. With a huff, he answers. "Yeah?"

Stu presses you against the bathroom sink, standing crotch to crotch against you as he tugged at your belt. You put a hand on his chest, pushing him back with what little energy you had, your half empty cup of liquor sitting on the sink. "What's the problem?" He asks, now slightly bothered by your resistance.

"You're going too fast." "I'll slow down, baby." "No, I mean us– this relationship– I don't think we're this far yet." "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stu, I–" your heart drops at the sound of a man screaming. You push him a way and back into the wall, running out of the bedroom. Scurrying down the stairs as you fix your pants, your startled by what you see.

Clyde stumbles into the living room, swatting his left hand, the right clenching his heart as blood spilled past it. He gargled incoherently, falling limp onto the couch. "Clyde!" You shriek, running down to his side.

"Clyde, buddy, talk to me." You shake him, pulling his hand away to see the myriad of stab wounds to his chest. You scoff in shock, your breath catching in your throat to see his eyes empty, lifeless. "What the fuck?!" You curse, backing away. "Clyde!!!"

You lay on your side in your bed. Tears are streaming down your face. It's been hours, but it feels like days have passed. You tremble quietly, sniffling. God, you should've listened to him.

Your phone rings. You don't want to answer. You don't want to live. Nothing even had purpose anymore. Your best friend, gone without a goodbye, and someone had the nerve to be calling you, as if they wouldn't have plenty more time to talk.

You snatch it off the line.

"☆☆☆, baby–" "No!" You interrupt Stu, fury filling you in an instant as you recognize his voice. "This is all your fault, damn it. I told you I didn't like parties! You always do this to me! You never respect my boundaries, man!"

"..I... I do respect you.." "No, you don't! Just last night, I had to force you off of me in the bathroom and when I told you I wasn't comfortable, you KEPT. PUSHING! WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU WOULDVE DONE HAD I BEEN ANY DRUNKER?!"

"Aww, dude, honey, you know I would...I would never do anything like that to you..." he sounds so genuinely bad, almost hurt by your words.

"Clyde is dead, Stuart! He's dead! He ain't coming back!"

"..I know.." "No, you DON'T. You don't know ANYTHING! THE ONLY THING YOU KNOW IS TO BEG AND PUSH TIL YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!"

"I DIDN'T KILL CLYDE!" "I DON'T KNOW THAT!"

The line goes quiet, and the only thing you can hear is the static.

" What are you trying to say, ☆☆☆?" "I'm breaking up with you. I can't do this with you anymore. I can't keep begging you for basic respect in this relationship. I'm tired and I'm scared and for all I know, you could've done this."

"No, baby, no. Please, no. Please, don't do this." His firm words turn into pleading whimpers. "I'm sorry, but I've made my decision." You hang up the phone. And Stu stands there, the line buzzing as tears run down his face.

You can support me by liking, commenting, reblogging, and/or cashapping me @fundsbrownie. Donations are optional, but much appreciated. Have fun! And remember, take care of yourself.

[sunoorintarou]

Catharsis: Going Home (Christmas Special pt. 2)

Phos!Reader x Gojo Satoru

Warnings: Takes place in the afterlife, kinda angsty, the love confession we didn't know we needed <3, the usual catharsis tags

Notes: Our blue eyed King will be back guys, trust (cope). Anyways, I suggest listening to the Bleach Soundtrack Going Home while reading this 🤝 Happy ending though ig

If someone had told Gojo Satoru in high school that he'd be one of the first of all his friends to die, he would have thrown a fit so bad, he probably would have destroyed the entire school building.

But here he was, lying flat on his back, vision blurring as he heard the distressed screams of his friends and students. Everything was fading. He felt like he was underwater, muffled voices and footsteps that wouldn't make it to him in time echoing.

He feels warm. Warmer than he felt in a long time.

Is this death?

His lashes fluttered as he stared at the blurred grey sky, feeling something cold touch his skin. It was snowing. The very first snow of winter and immediately his thoughts were clouded with you.

Satoru blinked, freezing when he found himself standing in a busy street. Nameless faces fading out around him. He was in high school again, or at least, he looked like he was in high school. He scanned his appearance in the window of a shop, noting how he wasn't wearing the familiar red scarf he had adorned so many times in the cold.

He froze. A certain realisation hitting him. If he wasn't wearing that scarf, then-

"Gojo - san!"

Satoru spun on his heel, blue eyes wide and sparkly. In the middle of the crowd, there you were. A familiar figure that had his hands reaching out to grasp any possible part of you that he could reach.

Same phosphophyllite eyes and hair, same concerned gaze, same pretty face and unsteady posture, and of course, his scarf that he had given to you one particularly cold day wrapped tightly around your neck.

"Hey, Satoru? Do you like her?" Suguru asked bluntly. If there was someone who knew Satoru, it was him. He could recognise the longing in his friend's eyes, the way he straightened his back when you were around, teasing you endlessly but dropping everything the moment she needed something.

Today, Suguru had finally had enough. You had been telling them about something mundane. Some show you watched, or some dessert you had tried, Suguru couldn't really remember. While he and Shoko always humoured you, he noticed that Satoru was suspiciously quiet, turning to glance at his friend, ready to ask if he was alright. But what he saw almost made me want to dry heave right then and there.

Gojo Satoru. The Gojo Satoru was staring at your side profile with the kind of lovesick gaze he'd only ever seen on a 13 year old girl in a coming of age movie.

His eyes were so soft around the edges, trained on you as you spoke, a smile so adoring and dreamy on his face that Suguru was almost 100% sure that he wasn't listening to a word you were mumbling. Probably fantasising about your pretty face and how much he wanted to kiss you, hold your hand, hug you, or something gross like that.

Suguru swore there were hearts floating around him and that if he were alone, he'd been kicking his feet, giggling, screaming into his pillow every time he remembered you saying "Gojo - san!" in your sweet voice.

Suguru grimaced at the sight, absolutely flabbergasted. Looking from you, to Satoru, then you, then Satoru, then Shoko, who gave him a knowing smirk. Discreetly kicking his foot under the table.

He had wasted no time to question Satoru after class, sitting on the chair in his dorm room, while Satoru lied on his bed.

"Do you like her?" Suguru repeated, already knowing the answer.

"Does it matter?" Satoru muttered, voice soft in a way Suguru had never heard it.

Where was the cocky boy who acted as if he could do no wrong? The overly confident jerk that knew full well how attractive he was? The boy who wouldn't hesitate to use his charms on strangers and shamelessly brag of how amazing he was?

Suguru had never seen Satoru so... vulnerable. So downtrodden. So raw and almost innocent in tone. His voice soft and light and so full of emotions and-

It clicks for Suguru. It's a little more than like. Maybe a lot more. And Satoru will never admit it but he's scared. He can see it on his face in the way his eyes droop, how his lips pull into a straight line, and how he fiddles with his fingers. Suguru's eyes widen when he sees what he's fiddling with.

It's a ring. Your ring. The one you always had on your right ring finger, the one he knows you couldn't have given to Satoru without a fuss or a fight but he also knows that Satoru wouldn't let you keep everything that's yours to yourself. That's just how he is. Taking your things to feel close to you.

It's a little pathetic. Imagining how the cold steel would feel against his skin if his fingers were intertwined with yours. How your gentle hands would feel in his rough ones.

But it's just as endearing. And a little funny, seeing his self-centered friend completely consumed by thoughts of another being.

"Of course, it matters." Suguru states, so sure of his words Satoru almost begins to believe them.

But it isn't until now, 12 years later, under the first snow that Satoru truly believes them. It does matter because you matter.

His heart moves before his body does, but when it catches up, he finds himself running to you. And in a split second, he's in front of you. He's imagined this moment so many times, going over the words in his head, letting them linger on his tongue every second of the past 1w years yet when he finally faces you, he's at a loss.

His mind is blank, his heart is on his sleeve, and he feels like a child. Taking in the sight of you with a lump forming in his throat.

"Gojo - san-" You begin, tears welling in your eyes, but before you can continue, you find yourself wrapped in a strong embrace.

"Satoru." He corrects, holding you against his chest, really feeling the weight of you against him.

"Sa - to - ru?" You sound out the syllables softly, and he swears his name has never sounded so good. So sweet. Like something precious.

"Yeah. It's been a while." His words are casual, almost awkward, but there's a weight in them. He pulls away to meet your gaze, eyes widening when he notices the tears streaming down your cheeks.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" His hands find your cheeks, cupping them gently in his grasp. And for once, he feels as if his hands are as strong as everyone thinks because right now he's holding his entire world in them.

He's imagined this thousands of times, but you've never cried in his mind, and he's left unsure. What happened? Are you upset with him for letting you die? For leaving you with Suguru that day? For not protecting you?

He's fully prepared to brace the words he feels will pierce through him like a dagger. To accept any harsh words, cruel punishments, absolutely anything as long as you don't hate him. That's one thing he can not accept. Not when he's finally gotten you back.

"You're an idiot! How could you?" Your voice cracks, and you sniffle.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, that day I shouldn't have-" Satoru begins to explain, holding you gently.

"You were- you shouldn't be here! You're so young, Satoru, you should- you should still be alive!" You scold, hands reaching up to hold his face, pulling him down to your level.

That was the last thing Satoru expected.

"Are you alright?" Your voice drops, soft and low, as you look over his features carefully like a mother checking over her child.

"Fine." He breathes out, absolutely breathless as he realised you're crying for him. Mourning the life he never got to experience instead of your own.

God. He loved you.

"You fought well, Satoru. I'm proud of you. You can rest now." You whisper earnestly, sniffling as you watch his face for any discomfort.

Suddenly, you're knocked off your feet, a yelp leaving your lips as you find yourself landing in the snow, a heavy weight pinning you down.

"Satoru, what-"

You freeze, his large form heavy on your chest, face buried into the crook of your neck. But what catches your attention are the tears dripping onto your skin as Satoru clutches you like a lifeline, your hands responding before your brain does and immediately wrapping around him tightly.

How long had he yearned for those words? Being the strongest meant expectations and contempt. Rarely ever appreciation because the duty of the strong was inherent. Protect the weak and expect nothing in return.

Nothing.

No one remembered his victories, but everyone remembered his faults.

The celebration of his death would surely be larger than the celebration of his life.

Yet in mere seconds, you made him feel as if 28 years of suffering was worth it. Every cut, bruise, scar to his body. The exhaustion in his bones. The weariness of his soul. If it all led to this moment in your arms, it was worth it, and he'd do it all again and again and again if it meant you'd be waiting at the end of it.

"I love you." He says, voice shaky as he holds onto you, choking back a sob.

You freeze in surprise, feeling your skin heat up, eyes wide as you stare at the sky. "Go- Satoru, what are you-" You're suddenly pulled to your feet, stumbling into his chest as his eyes earnestly meet yours, cheeks tear stained and flushed.

"I've held this in for 12 years and regretted it every second for not telling you. I love you, Y/n. I love your clumsiness, how earnest you are, how caring you are. Everything you hate about yourself too, your weakness, how fragile your body is, how easily you cry. I fell in love with all of it but was too much of an idiot to realise it." Satoru begins, making sure you're listening to every word he's saying.

"Satoru, wait-" You try, still in shock as he shakes his head. He holds up his right hand, and your jaw drops when you see what's on his ring finger.

"Is that?" You inhale sharply, trying to come to terms with this.

"Your ring. I still have it. And you're still wearing my scarf." He points out.

"Satoru, wait. Ca- calm down. You're thinking too hard- not thinking enough? I don't know, but this is so sudden-" You stumble over your words, heart racing in your chest.

"After 12 years of waiting, how is it sudden?" He asks, gently holding your hands in his.

Big hands. Big heart. An existence that quenches the thirst of your soul.

"You- are you serious right now? Do you really, li- like-" You manage before he cuts you off.

"Like? No. I love you." He grins, finally. Brightly, beautifully. As if you're watching the sun smile at the moon, the waves caress the shores. A sort of clumsy picturesque view any respectable photographer would kill for.

"Lo- love?"

"Love. You. Everything about you." He repeats earnestly.

You pause when he leans in, face scarlet in embarrassment as you flinch back, half expecting his lips to meet yours far too quickly. His hands gently cupping your face.

You panic, squeezing your eyes shut as he leans in only to hear a soft chuckle, and feel his fingers poke between your furrowed brows.

"What's that look for, hm? You like me too." He states proudly, playful lilt ever present but something more masked beneath.

"Wuh-" You're at a loss. Absolutely speechless.

"Come on. Admit it." He laughs.

You hesitate. Perhaps you'd long fooled yourself into thinking he was only a precious friend. Repeating the words at the back of your mind. Drilling them into your brain. Friend. Friend. A friend. You liked him as a friend.

Suddenly, Shoko's words ring in your head.

It's the spring of 2006, cicadas chirping outside, cool sodas on the table as you sat across from Shoko in your dorm.

"You're telling me... you get butterflies when you see him, your face gets hot when he smiles, you want to be with him every day, you stumble over your words around him, and you think this is cause you're sick?" Shoko loves you. You're the cutest thing she's never seen. You're so sweet. You're like a younger sister, or perhaps a pet puppy, or- something like that. But for goodness sake. You couldn't possibly be serious right now.

You nod earnestly, brows furrowed in concern. "What's the diagnosis, Doctor Ieiri?" You blurt, barely hiding your nervousness.

Shoko plays along, scribbling on the back of a lotto receipt with a dull pencil, biting down on her lollipop. "Here. Your diagnosis." She slides it across the table to you.

You gulp, hesitantly turning over the piece of paper. Scanning it with wide eyes.

"This- this can't be! Surely the diagnosis is wrong, Doctor! I- there's no way!" You panic.

Shoko deadpans. You're acting like she legitimately diagnosed you with something serious.

She leans over, and circles the two words she's written.

Stupidity. And, love.

"...I do." You blurt without thinking, eyes hesitantly meeting Satoru's 12 years too late. Or perhaps just in time.

"I love you. I have for a very long time as well." You admit breathlessly, tears welling in your eyes as the floodgates that had been holding back 12 years' worth of love burst open.

Satoru hadn't expected you to admit it so easily, so earnestly. He can't help the way his eyes gloss over and how his heart stutters. The prettiest smile on his face.

"Yeah? I know." He manages cheekily, but there's no hiding the raw emotion in his gaze.

"I'm sorry I left so early." You sniffle, pushing onto your tippy toes to press your forehead against his.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long." He mutters, lips finding the trail of tears in hopes of kissing away your heartache as he'd dreamed of so many times ago.

"But I'm here now. Sorry I'm late. I'm finally home." His hands cup your cheeks, nose pressing against yours.

"Welcome home, Satoru."

Perhaps the cruel Gods that Satoru never really believed in had finally had mercy on him. Who was he kidding? The Gods had long forsaken him, but you?

Surely even they couldn't deny you.

If Satoru could go back in time, he'd tell his highschool self 3 things.

Number 1. Beat up the higher ups at least once.

Number 2. Take more pictures with the people you love.

And Number 3. Don't worry. At the end, don't be sad. Because you'll finally come home.

[dtrghost]

closeness and proximity part.4

pairing: ghost x f!reader

synopsis: callsign is sunshine, because you're anything but. team 141 thought ghost was bad? at least they could crack a smile out of the guy from time to time, you? you were stone faced, all day, every day. until one day you're not, not with a certain someone anyway.

warnings: inaccurate military language and sequences, mega angst, allusions to mental illness (reader has sociopathic tendencies) you get the gist. violence, death (not simon or the mc), sad ghosty because yes. This is gonna be a longer one I think, lots of gore, lots of torture, be wary of that, not for the faint hearted. Guys, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE GORE, PLEASE. Also, reminder that again, mc is not a good person, not at all, she's devoted to her job and will do ANYTHING to succeed, keep that in mind. Hey you get to see simon close to tears!!!

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT:

word count: 3.5k

She awoke with a scowl, the vomit from last night leaving a vile taste on her tongue. She brushed her teeth, gargled mouth wash, and opted to skip out on breakfast.

As if her stomach could handle that after last night.

She hated herself for letting her teammate see her so weak, even going so far as to cry in front of him and confess feelings she couldn't comprehend herself. But now wasn't the time to dwell, she had a mission, and to carry it out she resorted to autopilot, her best friend for years.

Simon opened his eyes to the sound of her getting ready, the cocks of her gun as she checked it twice over to ensure nothing would go wrong when she needed it.

"Mornin' sunshine." He grunted out, his voice deep and raspy with sleep as he sluggishly stood up.

"Ghost." His eyes flickered to her, and the woman he knew was back. The cold, guarded version of her he'd managed to break through the night before had returned. He didn't press, knowing how important it was to get the job done right. He got ready himself as she stood by the cracked open door waiting for him patiently. He noticed how she kept her eyes cemented to the floor, not moving, rarely blinking, because if she looked at him, and he stared back with something that wasn't the look of a lieutenant or a soldier, she'd crack.

And she couldn't let that happen. Not now anyway.

Her ears tuned in to the sound of loud thuds hitting the floor. Her eyes flickered to the smoke entering the room shouts ringing out from another part of the house. She got a small whiff of the smell.

HCN, H2S, and PH3.

Knockdown gas.

They made eye contact, rushing to her bag and pulling out a gas mask, Simon following silently. The gas flooded the room, Y/N pressing her ear to the door, hearing nothing but silence in return. She waited for a moment before cracking open the door and taking a peek out, seeing the hallway flooded with the same smoke but no bodies.

"Couples hours before breakfast, most of em were still asleep." Simon told her quietly.

The one time these bloody fuckers decide to sleep in.

They made their way to the end of the hallway, checking the rooms along the way to see that they were empty. She looked around the corner, finding those very bodies on the floor, blood surrounding them as they trailed to the hallway on the other side of the kitchen. Her hand came up, halting him as she crouched down, pushing a metal ball from the back of her vest and into her palm.

"What's that?" He pressed, never having seen a device like that before.

"It's connected to my coms that picks up audio. Prototype from headquarters." His eyebrows shot up in surprise as she rolled it to the other hallway, and with a tap of her earpiece she could hear quiet voices from the other half of the house.

Clear. Alpha 0-5 move to the other side. Omega team will clear upstairs.

She took out her suppressed pistol instead, listening to the near silent thuds of footsteps going up the stairs.

"They're gonna come this way. I take them out, then we move to the front door."

"Copy that." She watched as two soldiers appeared from the other hallway. With two bullets to the head, one for each, she reloaded and approached the front door silently, taking a moment to grab her eavesdropper (what she calls it anyway) and move back to Simon. Gunshots rang out upstairs, Simon quick to grab her arm before she could clear the front for an exit.

"What about the rest of em?" He hated, no. Loathed, leaving teammates behind when he could do something to help. She stopped, sighing deeply. She had to make a choice, save the two of them, or risking the death of everyone trying to save the rest.

"They're out. By the time we get up there they'll be dead and we'll have to face the firing squad." She argued, disagreeing with the idea to play search and rescue.

"You don't know that." He shot back, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not risking our lives. We have a mission to complete, and we can't do that if we have a bullet in our brains." They were both growing irritated. He thought she was being selfish for not wanting to even try to help her squad. She found him idiotic for not seeing that there wasn't a chance that they'd pull anyone out alive.

"I'm not leaving until we try." And he knew she wasn't leaving him on his own, she cared too much. He didn't mind using her feelings for him for his own gain in the moment. Right now he cared about his team, and when he moved to clear the house, she begrudgingly followed. They checked every body they came across for a pulse, finding none for the first few. It pissed her off in a variety of ways, the fact she was right and he wasn't letting up, and the fact that she didn't hear it sooner.

She blamed her herself. If she hadn't let herself deteriorate, she would've heard them come, she could've saved them. But she didn't, and she'd now have to remind herself of that every day for the rest of her life.

She moved to the front of him, taking initiative and peaking around the hallway. The gas had since cleared by the windows they opened, the traces left not being enough to knock anyone else out.

"Clear!" Ghost's heart sank. She was right. He heard her exhale slowly, her anger peaking as she waited for them all the walk out of the rooms and putting a bullet in their heads. All but two. She shot their hands, then their legs, moving through the hallway and yanking them both off the floor with one arm each.

"Sun-"

"Shut it Ghost. How the hell did you find us." He had never seen her so angry. Her tone was spiteful and full of hatred as she threw one his direction and directing her rage to the bigger guy.

"Fuck you." The man replied, smirking at her tauntingly. It was silent for a beat, and it would only get worse.

"Alright." With a quick movement his face smashed into her knee, letting his body drop as she began searching rooms with an order for Simon to keep an eye on them. She found rope, feeling the heaviness of it as she threw it on her shoulder and came back out.

"You can watch this time if you want. Maybe you can learn a few things." She grabbed the man by his vest and dragged him into the nearest room, Simon taking the other one with him.

"Put him in the chair and tie him up." She tossed some rope to him before tying her guy down to the bed. The chair the other one sat in was facing the bed, and there was this awful feeling that he couldn't shake. Everything told him to step outside, to not watch what she was going to do to them, but his need to know what she was truly capable of was just that much stronger.

"Kinky. I like it." He teased, though the sweat sliding down his temple was evidence enough that he was scared. She didn't reply, grabbing a knife, taking off her gear, and rolling up her sleeves.

"Call for evac." She ordered, waiting for him to finish with it before sitting next to him.

"Let's get started. How did you find us."

"I had a nice cup of tea with your mother before she-" He cried out in pain, squirming as she pressed her knife into his abdomen and cut a line down the middle. The ropes were too tight, too thick for him to rip off as he desperately pulled at them.

"This is how it's gonna work. Wrong answer, one organ he-" She jabbed her finger towards the guy sitting in the chair who had just been shouting at her to stop.

"Has to eat." Everyone's eyes blew out of the sockets at her words. She couldn't be serious, she was bluffing... right?

"You're full of shit." She snickered, burying the blade in his thigh, her eyes boring into his own.

"You just murdered my team. I promise you, the last thing I value this morning is morality. So, tell me what I want to know, or shit's gonna get ugly."

"Sunshine-" Simon's words never left the tip of his tongue. The glare that faced him was enough to cause him to step back and keep his mouth shut. He didn't move, didn't try to stop her.

"Let's continue shall we. How did you know that we were here."

"Go to hell-" She dug her knife back into him, and Ghost watched in fear as she cut out his spleen. No amount of hatred for the man was enough to get him to watch the process, he kept his eyes cemented to the floor, attempting to tune out his wails and cries. He watched her turn to the man in the chair who stared at her in terror as she held the bloody organ in her hands.

His hand grabbed her wrist.

"That's enough. We'll find a different-" Before he could finish she slammed his against the wall, her arm pressing hard against his trachea as the knife pointed inward to his jugular.

"Stay. Out. of my way. That's an order lieutenant." It was a reminder that she had operational command. She took notice of the betrayal, releasing him with a push against the wall. This is what she was, a monster, and part of her was glad he likely realized that by now so he'd stop trying. She didn't deserve his help, and it was better he put his time towards someone more worthy than someone like her. With one last look at him, she turned back to her victim.

"So, would you prefer i cut it into pieces for you? Or do you wanna be a champ and chew it yourself." Simon's stomach lurched, and it took everything in him not to leave the room, or to spill his dinner from the night before onto the floor.

"You should be thanking me, you're getting the breakfast my team didn't." The man from the bed sobbed and watched her cut a piece off, a second away from forcing it down his teammates throat before he broke.

"Alright I'll tell you!" He yelled, listening to her 'tch' and turn back to him, tossing his organ off to the side. She sat next to him on the bed, her eyes piercing into his soul.

"If you lie to me. I'll go for your dick next, and your buddy won't be the one eating it." The sheer horror in his eyes almost made her laugh, flipping the knife in her hands as she looked at him expectingly. Turns out he was a mole, hidden inside the operation and feeding intel back to his home country's base with the promise of a perfect life for himself, where he could live in a luxury that even some of the richest people couldn't buy.

She could understand if it were to save someone he loved, she might've spared him if that were the case. But for wealth, for greed, he was willing to murder, and she couldn't stand for that.

"He told you what you wanted to know!" The other man cried, watching as the life in his friend's eyes faded, the metal sinking into his heart.

"I'm doing you a favor. People like him, who trade lives for material wealth, are never good to keep around." She shrugged, pulling the knife out and leaving him there before moving back to him.

"Anything else you think I need to know? You're gonna die anyway." Her unbothered attitude made Ghost question whether she had feelings at all.

Was the person he met last night real? Was it a lie, a facade for some underlying goal he didn't know?

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" The man sobbed, still struggling against his restraints in a feeble attempt to escape the inevitable. Her hand landed on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze in false comfort.

"People like your buddy. Ever heard of the Тюлень project." His eyes met hers and she snickered at his confusion.

"It means seal in Russian. They'd kidnap elite soldiers, most happening to be navy seals to brainwash them and sell them to ally countries through an underground black market system. Now a number of things occurred during the process." She rose back up, twisting the knife in her hands as she thought back to that time with a smile that held nothing behind it.

"But I think the most memorable part was when they'd castrate the men and sterilize the women. No meds either, awake for the whole thing." Simon's head snapped up to her, both of them in shock and terror.

"ECT was one thing, but god that was a whole other experience. But the wounds healed up nicely so I guess I can't complain." The humor behind her words fell on deaf ears. They couldn't tell if they should've felt sympathy or fear.

"Well whatever. I'll put you out of your misery now." She pulled out her pistol and within a second he was dead, the both watching as his body went slack and his head fell forward.

"Evac should be arriving soon-"

"Is it true?" He interrupted, staring at her.

"No I lied to the poor guy about getting my organs ripped out so he'd pass on peacefully. Of course it's fucking true."

"Watch the fuckin' attitude Y/N."

"What the hell is your problem now. Someone shove a stick up your ass when I wasn't looking." The next thing she knew she was slammed against the wall, suddenly the one in front the knife as it pressed against her neck, just as she did to him before. She took his emotions in, seeing his rage, the hurt from her treachery. She strained to adjust her neck to a more comfortable position, smirking up at him. She felt the sharpness of the blade dig into her skin a bit, the warm crimson dripping down her neck as she flashed her jugular to him.

"Do it Simon. I won't stop you. I can see the dying urge somewhere in there." The hairs on the back of his neck stood tall. She was right, a part of him wanted to. The part that felt threatened by her previous actions, that didn't trust her for a second as she flipped from person to person, cold and warm in fleeting moments. She watched him lower his knife, getting in her face, their noses almost touching through their masks.

"You're a sick, selfish bastard. You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself, you kill for yourself, you hurt everyone you meet. And I don't want something like that on my team."

Something. Not someone. She wasn't even a person to him now.

"You'll be off Task Force 141 by the morning, you hear me?" She swallowed thickly, nodding, only for his arm to push farther into her throat causing her to choke.

"Words soldier." He spat, the anger gleaming in his eyes. He could see the small traces of hurt and guilt in her eyes. But she knew it was only a matter of time, She was unlovable, and she was foolish to think she could have something she wanted.

"I'll be off Task Force 141 in the morning. I'll call HQ myself." She forced out. He searched her gaze for falsehood before reluctantly releasing her, facing away as she gasped for air, hunching over and taking deep breaths. She couldn't deny his strength, and it was evident with her short coughing fit.

They were silent as she put back on her gear, and he knew that was the last time he'd ever see Y/N, the woman he met last night, likely forever. He watched as she picked up her gun, her eyes empty and nonchalant.

"We need to head to the landing zone. You ready?" She kept a light tone that surprised him a bit. With a curt nod she approached the door, only for it to be kicked in as she jumped back in shock. The uniforms matched the ones from the men she killed, so she began taking shots, Simon following. But as more filed in, they quickly lost, both of them ending up on the floor with knees on their backs, their hands being tied up.

They were forced to comply, being pushed and shoved to a helicopter waiting outside for them. They had been gagged and stripped of their gear, sitting on the hard floor with guns pointing at them. Ghost tried to meet her eyes, nudging her foot to look at him for a silent meeting to make a plan, until the barrel pointing at him was suddenly digging into his skull, ordering him to stop in Russian.

Then they began to shout, people standing with their guns up and ready as the radar with the control up front beeped, a red blinker appearing to be approaching them from the back.

Evac followed.

The helicopter door opened with a machine gun pointing at them, only for them to scream as she kicked their knee in, sending them out of the chopper. The duo couldn't speak, but a silent confirmation was given as they got themselves up, fighting with their hands behind their back as the evac helicopter appear just below them. With the door still open she made eye contact with Price, her head gesturing down.

The aircraft lowered enough for them to jump in, and she went back to help out Ghost who she pushed in front of her before two men looped their arms around her. She spit out her gag after leaning over with them and trying to shake them off with vigor, but she wasn't strong enough, not after the several blows her body had already taken.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Simon yelled out, having gotten the gag out of his mouth and seeing her restrained. She stepped back, causing him stutter for a moment in confusion as she told him to stop.

"I'm sorry." For everything, but she didn't have time for that last piece. Before he could help she jumped, her feet making hard contact with his chest, sending him out of danger and falling into evac who turned the chopper to let him fall in. She fell back onto the floor, her capturers' grips loosening and her head spinning as she crawled to the opening.

"We've got to get her out of there!" Simon yelled, only to be held back by Soap and Price. She felt hands wrap around her ankles before she looked back at her team.

"GO." She screamed as loudly as she could, knowing there was no way for her to get out alive either. John saw her for a moment, truly. He saw the girl he met 6 years ago. Her eyes were begging, pleading with him to save themselves, to save him, and leave her behind. He gave her nod, tearing his look away before wetness could pool in his eyes.

"No! Price! Don't you fucking dare!" His eyes burned involuntarily as he looked back at her, desperate to go back. Everything around him went quiet, slow, and he felt the air from his lung dissipate at her face. She smiled at him, a genuine smile.

It's gonna be okay. It told him.

The last person to look at him that way was his mother. When he was just a boy after he received a beating from his father. The look of care, reassurance, and tenderness she gave him as she cleaned the wounds on his body and face. That she'd save him, get him out of harm's way, and this time around, she did. He breathed heavily, every word he had said to her flooding back to his memory with guilt and regret.

Sick, selfish bastard. Those were his last words to her. The last thing he did was threaten her life and kick her off the team like trash. He almost threw up.

"Get us out of here!" Price shouted to the pilot who nodded, turning their aircraft around and heading back home. Simon struggled and yanked, but his body was weak for the beating he took in that house, and all he could do was watch as they parted for what may have been the last time.

Her breath was ragged and heavy as soldiers pulled her up by her arms, not nearly as gentle as they were the last time. The butt of their gun hit her face, and she felt her body sag, her eyes shutting as she lost consciousness. A part of her didn't mind too much, she got him out, she saved someone, finally. She did something right, something that wasn't for herself, and she let herself enjoy that as she slipped away.

She did it.

Yeaahhh. For reference HCN is hydrogen cyanide, H2S is hydrogen sulfide, and PH3 is phosphite (I'm not smart I googled knockdown gas). There's gonna be another part soon, because yes I'm excited. Anyway yeah. I hope you enjoyed this part!! The next part may be the second to last depending on what I come up with. If you wanna be part of the tag list let me know! Notes of any kind are appreciated and thank you for all of the support!!

@thaprilks @bowtruckleninja @almightywdm

[albertasunrise]

Look for the Light - 2

Masterlist

Summary: Four years ago, Joel saved you from certain death. In return, you followed him faithfully. Always ready to do and give him whatever he asked, despite the hurt it inflicted on you, body and soul. Agreeing to go with him to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies… this would be the last time you’d follow him… After this, your debt would be paid.

Relationships: Reader x Joel Miller, Joel Miller & Ellie, Reader & Ellie

Warnings: Like AO3, I choose to give none. Read at your own risk. 18+ (So excited to share this with you. So much to come folks! 🙊😍)

Series Masterlist - Part 1

"He hates me!" Ellie grumbled to you under her breath as she ate the last of the sandwich from her pack.

"He hates everyone." You snorted as you nibbled on your ration of jerky.

"He doesn't hate you."

"Doesn't like me." You grumbled in reply, a little louder than you'd intended but Joel made no sign of hearing you.

"So what's the deal with you two anyway?" She asked as she pulled Joel's coat closer.

"Nothing." You replied with a shrug.

"Bullshit."

"What do you-"

"I catch you looking at him all googly-eyed when he's not looking and I've seen him do the same when you ain't." She stated and you scoffed at that "It's true." She defended "He clearly cares about you and you clearly care about him so what's the issue?"

"I owe him my life." You stated plainly "He saved me and I have followed him ever since." Ellie gave you a bemused look as she waited for you to continue "He keeps me around because he saved me... All this is."

"You mean more to him than that." Ellie argued but you simply shook your head.

"No... I don't." You grumbled before eating the last of your jerky "Get some sleep. Got a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."

Ellie didn't argue. She ate the last bite of her food before laying down on the hard forest floor and pulling Joel's coat over her small shoulders. You watched her a moment before your eyes drifted to Joel again. The man was standing in the same spot he'd been a few minutes ago, eyes scanning the forest for any sign of movement.

You knew telling him to get some rest was futile. The man was as stubborn as they came so instead you let your head fall back against the tree you were leaning against and closed your eyes. The sound of the forest lulling you to sleep.

Joel meanwhile was replaying what he'd heard, over and over in his brain.

He keeps me around because he saved me... All this is

Did you really think that's all you meant to him?

Had he really given you no other indications of how important you were to him? He knew he wasn't good at showing any sort of real emotion. He'd shut that side away the day his daughter had died. He hadn't cried since that day either but he had hoped that the small things he did had given you the smallest indication that you were more than just a sidekick to him.

Then he remembered what you'd said to him back at the hotel.

So you're not fucking us both?

Truth was... He and Tess had broken things off the moment she realised that you meant more to him than just a casual fuck. She'd been okay with him sleeping with you occasionally. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been sleeping with other men occasionally but when it had come to light that his feelings for you ran a little deeper. That was it.

Her words to him just before they'd left her there to die amongst those monsters still echoed in his head.

I never ask, you for anything! Not to feel the way I felt.

Joel had known, deep down, that Tess' feelings for him were a little more than just friends. But she had never pushed him for more than he was willing to give and he had always appreciated that. So it hadn't come as any surprise that when she'd figured out that he had feelings for you, she hadn't wanted any part of it. He was sure that it had hurt her more than she let on but you can't help who you love. And he didn't love her.

Save who you can save... And tell her the truth... Before it's too late.

He was sure though, as he turned to look at you and Ellie, that if he told you what you meant to him. You'd laugh in his face"

I owe him my life

That's the only reason you'd stuck around. The only reason you'd let him lose himself in you when he needed a distraction. You felt that you owed it to him. The truth of it stung more than he'd expected but he couldn't let it distract him from what he needed to do. Get Ellie to Bill and Franks.

That was his mission now.

It was a five-hour hike to Bill and Franks. Five hours and then you could have a shower and eat some of Bill's amazing food. But for now, Jerky would have to do. You were sat nibbling on your measly ration, and Ellie sat silently beside you.

"Where's Joel?" She asked having woken up to just you.

"Gone to freshen up down by the river." You stated and she gave you a slight nod before returning to her own meal.

A few bites in, you were overcome with the sudden urge to hurl and you managed to throw yourself sideways in time before you were emptying the contents of your stomach onto the forest floor.

"Whoa, you okay?" Asked Ellie as she looked at you in shock.

"Yeah." You replied as you shook your head weakly and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

'What's going on?" Joel asked as he appeared.

Wonderful You thought to yourself as you looked up at the man.

"Nothing." You replied meekly as you shook your head.

"She just hurled!" Ellie exclaimed and you cursed the teenager's honesty.

"Really?" Joel asked as he stepped closer to you, his brows drawing together in what appeared to be genuine concern.

"It's nothing." You waved off as you got to your feet "Probably about to start my..." You didn't finish your sentence. Didn't get a chance before a wave of dizziness washed over you and your knees gave out.

Ellie and Joel were quick to catch you but you didn't thank them. You shrugged them off before tossing the last of your jerky to Ellie and stalking away.

"Just got up to fast." You growled before making your way out of view so you could relieve yourself.

"She okay?" Ellie asked as she watched you disappear behind some trees.

"How should I know?" Joel grumbled and the teenagers scoffed.

"You can pretend that you don't give a shit but I can see that you do." She snapped, eyes boring into the side of Joel's head.

When she realised she wasn't going to get the reaction she wanted out of the man she dropped it. No point in fighting a losing battle.

"You want your jacket back?"

Nothing.

"I've never been in the woods." She said then, changing the subject completely "More bugs than I thought."

Still, the man said nothing. She knew he was probably upset about Tess but it wasn't your fault or hers. Yet he'd been nothing but cold towards you both since it happened.

"Look, I've been thinking about..."

"I don't want your sorries." He growled, still not looking at the teenager.

"I wasn't gonna say I'm sorry." She snapped back and this grabbed his attention "I was gonna say that I've been thinking about what happened.

Nobody made you, her or Tess take me." She said as she motioned in the direction you'd walked in "Nobody made you go along with this plan. You needed a truck battery or whatever and you made a choice." She paused a moment, staring him down "So don't blame me for something that isn't my fault." Joel nodded, his eyes dropping to the forest floor "And don't blame her either!"

"I don't blame her!" Joel defended and Ellie scoffed.

"Well, you've been a dick to her since we left the city."

"It's complicated." Joel grumbled and Ellie just rolled her eyes at his reply.

"Whatever."

An awkward silence fell over them both for a moment. Neither party knew what to say never so your return brought them both to sigh in relief.

"How much longer?" Ellie asked as she watched the man finish packing his supplies.

"Five-hour hike." He replied plainly and the teenager nodded.

"We can manage that." She replied before looking at you and smiling. "You've gone this way a lot?"

"Yeah." You replied, as you grabbed your own pack and slung it onto your back.

"No Infected?"

"Not often, no." You replied before looking over at Joel. "Let's get going."

You didn't wait to see if they were following. You silently trekked in the direction of Bill and Frank's. You didn't want to talk to either of them about the fact that you'd thrown up again. You didn't need to add to their burdens. Once you were at Bill and Frank's, you'd be able to rest, freshen up and lay all this to rest.

So you walked. You walked as fast as you knew Joel could handle with his bad knees. You tried to tune out Ellie's chatter but the girl was a chatterbox.

"How'd you get that scar on your head?" She asked Joel but he didn't answer, his eyes fixed on you as you walked ahead.

"What? Is it something lame?" The girl pushed "Like you fell down the stairs or something?"

"I didn't fall down any stairs." He grumbled finally and you smirked.

"Okay, so what then?"

"Someone shot at me and missed."

"See, that's cool." The teenager gushed as she glanced up at Joel "You shoot back?"

"Yeah."

"You get him?"

"No, I missed, too." He grumbled in reply and you almost turned your head to look back at him "It happens more often than you think."

"Cause you suck at shooting or, like, in general?"

"In general."

"You know, seeing as it's just the three of us, I was thinking I should pro-"

"No."

It amused you how persistent the child was when it came to having a gun of her own. You knew it wasn't unusual for kids to be curious about firearms but she was bordering on trigger-happy. You wondered if she had ever fired one outside of the FEDRA school shooting range. You hoped she'd never have to.

When the rest stop came into view you slowed your pace a little. Knowing that Joel would want to stop and restock his munitions.

"Hang back a minute." He said as he made his way over to the entrance of the derelict store "I gotta grab some stuff I stashed."

You stopped by the door, waiting for Joel and the teenager to catch up. You couldn't help the quirk of your lip at Joel's obvious misery at the child's constant chatter. He wasn't one for talking much. Only when he had a few drinks in him would he loosen up and hold a conversation with anyone. But even then, they were short.

"Stashed?" Ellie questioned as she looked up at the run-down building "Why do you have stuff stashed here?"

"You ask a lot of goddamn questions." He griped as he stepped past you and inside.

"Yes, I do." Ellie replied, smirking as she looked up at you "So, are you gonna answer me or what?"

"We hide supplies on routes." You piped up as your eyes scanned the room "In case we find ourselves short on gear..."

"Which I currently am 'cause-"

"No way!" Ellie squealed out as she ran across the store "You ever play this one?" She asked as she turned her head to look at you and you shoot your head "I had a friend who knew everything about this game. There's this one character named Mileena who takes off her mask and she has monster teeth and then she swallows you whole and barfs out your bones." You grinned at her excitement.

Your eyes scanned the pilfered shelves as Ellie played around with the long-dead game. The frames, dirty and bare.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna take a look around, see if there's anything good." Ellie stated as she looked over at Joel and then at you.

"Trust me, it's all been picked over already." Joel grumbled as he kicked at the floor.

"Maybe, maybe not." Ellie shrugged as she made her way over to the back of the shop "Is there anything bad in here?" She called out as she looked through the dark doorway.

"Just you." Joel replied and you smirked as Ellie rolled her eyes at the man's reply.

"Getting funnier." She grumbled before stepping into the back.

"Where are you going?" He asked when he noticed you step away.

"Keep an eye on her." You replied with a shrug before slipping into the back.

Joel was right about the store being pillaged but there was still the odd item here or there. You shone your torch over the bare frames, hoping that you might find something of use.

"Check this out1" Ellie exclaimed and you turned to see her dropping down through a trap door on the floor.

"Ellie I don't think-" She disappeared before you got a chance to finish.

You turned your head and shone your torch down the remainder of the shelves, stopping in your tracks when it hit a familiar-looking box. You couldn't believe your eyes when you picked the item up to look at it better and without thinking you stuffed it in your pack.

"You all right back there?" Called out Joel and you turned to look back at the room you'd seen Ellie in a few minutes before, squinting when you noticed some movement at the trap door.

"Yep!" Ellie called and you smiled as you made your way towards the trap door, stopping when you saw that Joel had finally found what he was looking for.

"All there?" You asked as you stepped towards him and he nodded.

"Looks like." He replied "She being awful quiet all of a sudden." He said as he looked up at you and then at the door "Ellie?"

"She's fine." You said but he didn't listen to you, his brow pulling together the longer the girl didn't respond.

"Ellie!" He called out again but still, the girl didn't respond and suddenly you started to worry also.

Getting to his feet, Joel took a few ginger steps towards the doorway, ready for anything that could potentially come through it.

"Ellie?" He called out one more time and that's when the girl appeared.

"Picked over, my ass." She announced as she waved a box of tampons in his face and you smirked at her before looking back at him again.

"Told you she was okay."

Joel then finished swapping out the gun he had for the one he'd stashed and then, hid it all away again. A short while later you were walking again, dust kicking up behind you as you followed the dirt road to your destination.

"Holy shit." Expelled Ellie as she spotted a wrecked plain on the hillside "You fly in one of those?"

"Few times, sure." Replied Joel as he came to a stop at the girl's side.

"So lucky."

"Didn't feel like it at the time." Joel grumbled and you smirked, remembering your own experience of flying.

"Get shoved into a middle seat, pay 12 bucks for a sandwich."

"Don't forget the cramped ass toilets that always seemed to be occupied."

"Dudes, you got to go up in the sky." Ellie groaned.

"Yeah, well, so did they." Replied Joel grimly and your face fell.

Your walking on prompted the other two to follow. You zoned out the conversation when Ellie asked about how it all started, not wanting to be reminded of how one minute you were sleeping soundly in your bed and the next, you were being carried to the car so your family could flee the town you'd grown up in. The walk passed by more or less wordlessly on your part. Stopped only to look at the mass grave that sat at the side of the road, a sobering reminder of how the army had dealt with people they hadn't had space for.

You were an hour out when your stomach rolled again and you silently dashed for the treeline before emptying what was left of the contents of your stomach. Joel and Ellie watched wordlessly as you stumbled back out onto the road a few moments later but neither of them said a word and for that, you were glad. You didn't even want to think about what could possibly be wrong with you right now.

When the fence line came into view, you instantly knew something was up. The flowers outside of the house were dead. Frank would never have let them get to that state. The house looked desolate. It had always looked so lived in before and you shared a look with Joel, a silent conversation passing between the two of you as he stepped towards the gate.

Something was wrong.

"Stay there." He ordered as he inputted the code and entered the town, gun in hand.

You followed Joel with Ellie at your side. Heart in your throat as you studied the house closely. It all just felt wrong. The door squeaked open and you felt your heart leap into your throat as the empty house came into view.

"What the fuck?"

"Bill?" Called out Joel but he was met with silence "Frank?"

Still nothing.

"You stay there." He said to Ellie, before looking up at you "Ya hear anything, you see anything, yell."

"What if they're gone?"

You knew in your heart of hearts that the lack of presence from these two men was a bad omen. There was no way either of them had left this place.

You stepped studied the table and noted the rotten food that still sat there. Frank would die before leaving a mess. You stepped into the kitchen but you were greeted by nothing but the smell of rotten food. The smell was so strong that you ran for the sink, throwing up nothing but bile now.

"Ellie?" Called out Joel and you stepped back into the dining room to see the girl sitting there with a letter in hand.

Joel stood opposite her, a grim expression on his face.

"It's from Bill." She said as she picked up the envelope "To whomever, but probably Joel." She read before putting it back down again "I figured I fell under 'whomever'... Came with this." She said lifting up a car key.

"So they're dead?" He asked, his eyes darting up to you when you gasped at his question.

"You wanna?"

"Go ahead. You do it."

You stood there and listened as the girl read Bill's letter. Silent tears slipped down your cheeks as you started at the paper in her hands.

"I leave you all of my weapons and equipment. Use them to keep..." She trailed off, looking at Joel who then took the letter from her.

His shoulders tensed and you knew exactly what it said. You didn't need to read it to know.

"Stay here." Joel grumbled before stepping out.

"Should we go after him?" She asked you but you shook your head.

"No."

An hour later you were showering and washing the grime of the past two days from your skin. Joel managed to find some clothes for you all. Some jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel for you that now sat on the unit just outside. When you were done, your eyes fell on your pack, mind wandering to the item inside. You were sure you were just sick with stress but you wondered if perhaps it was something more sinister. Perhaps it was best to check.

You could hear Joel and Ellie as they pilfered the house for essentials. So you knew they wouldn't miss you for a little while longer.

You were sitting with Ellie when Joel emerged from upstairs, hair still wet from showering. His eyes raked over you a moment. Your knee bounced as you stared at your pack that lay on the table. You felt sick. Your stomach twisted in painful knots as you unconsciously picked at the skin around your thumbnail.

"Well, don't you look pretty." Ellie teased, pulling a smirk from you as you glanced up at him.

"Shut up." He grumbled, "Come on... time to go."

Ellie got up and skipped outside but you were slower to follow. Grabbing your pack, you threw it over your shoulder and started to make your way out, Joel stopping you when you reached him.

"You okay?" He asked and you nodded.

"Golden." You replied, giving him a smile that you knew was convincing no one.

Because the truth was you weren't okay... Far from it!

And you didn't know what you were going to do.

Next

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[aakaneeee]

ROUND 26: AKANE VS. TOV

Everything is shaking. Around her, nothing is clear anymore, lines blurring like watercolor, colors dissipated as if they were particles of dust, the blinding lights shining between the clouds. She can barely hear: everything is loud, too loud, and it's ringing in her ears like the buzzing of a thousand muttering aliens. It feels like they are judging her: no, them. Her opponent was no different: they both had the same fate of losing everyone in the blink of an eye.

If she dies, Naz will go crazy. She'd change completely. She sees her as pure: or at least, purer than her. She doesn't want that to change. If she survives, the next round won't give her certainty. It's something she's learned long ago: in this competition, tomorrow is never certain. She never knows what will happen. She just wants to rest: bury herself in the comfort of something soft, like a cloud, be softly illuminated by stars so as not to be left in complete darkness, and of course, stay together with Naz: forever. And know that eternity is promised.

But no: never has she considered a life where everything is perfect. It's out of her league, out of her possibilities. The heavy fog around her life will never rise. She's older than most contestants, she'd know best escape is impossible.

No.

Escape is possible.

But not for her.

Never for her.

Beneath the muffled sounds of still playing instrumentals, that were already blending in her ears, she hears the scores tallying. She doesn't dare to look back: she's afraid of what she'd see. She wants to die not knowing what is happening to her, if she loses. The sound of the verdict calculating is foreign to her compared to her opponent. Her second round was stopped because of a double kill, and she was left without the experience. It feels new to be on the stage, despite not being.

Her eyes gently closed, sparkly white makeup in it's full glory, adorned by the stage lights. Her performance was good. Was it good enough? She could almost feel Kiba's scrutinizing gaze on her. They were already upset with her, because she cut her hair without permission and mauled the original dress she was given, choosing her own white gown, like a bride to the altar, like a corpse to the funeral. It could mean anything. Nothing and everything at once. It would start up controversies: perhaps that's what her owner wanted her to do anyways. She's already brought them enough fame. And unfortunately, their mannerisms got to her. She's even chosen a calm song. But no: it was for her own peace of mind. It felt like the lyrics were familiar, like a warm embrace of her lover, guarding her from the scarred world.

I promise you, soon, the autumn comes.

She reached for her pocket. Just in the case. Her finger placing itself oh so gently onto the trigger.

To steal away each dream you keep.

The sound stopped, foreshadowing the announcement.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Curiosity killed the cat.

And so, her face fell. 50/50, huh?

Anything can happen. But she knows what will. And she knows what she wants.

She begins walking: slow, but long purposeful strides along the stage, down the stairs, her eyes stuck to a certain someone. They escaped for too long: death was imminent. She didn't want to go down alone, so simple. Everyone should have imagined that an "ANAKT honor student" would not fall without a fight. No, it wasn't a fight. Because she knew she was about to win everything she wanted, and yet, lose it all, too. She didn't have anything except Naz and her own life, anyways.

The muttering and surprised gasps of the public grew dead silent as a gun was pointed towards guardian Kiba's head. She wanted to do it with a straight, unfeeling gaze, but the ominous tie had put her under pressure. She would've much rather to just lose with a small score, than be in the hands of fate. Fate was never on her side. Between rapidly falling tears, she realized she's not ready to die. There weren't many things waiting for her. But there was one, that was worth millions. She will anyways, so at least she should do something for the upcoming humans that would be put in a disgusting adoption center.

And she pulled the trigger.

Gasps rose again, but she didn't hear them for long, as her own fated bullet pierced through her skull. Blood gushed, and she fell to the ground, her dress' veil flowing gracefully behind her, as if it were a ghost, as if it were a star's tail when it falls out of the sky.

"I love you, Naz."

And so, a shooting star was born.

'A shooting star's meaning is the end of the beggining. Some say, it's a sign of humility, others, that it's about the vastness of the Universe. But for her, it was always the same thing. Even though it's falling, it's up in the sky, like a celestial being, and is a sign of undying love. And yet, the differences in between make such an arduous affection impossible.'

@sotogalmo @nottoonedin @junebluues @billwasnot @paradisedisconcert @4listr @lookatmysillies @solei-eclipse @apriciticreveries @ivanttakethis

[ironstrange1991]

As Strange As It Seems (Part 3)

+18 smut

Pairing: Doctor!Strange x Fem!Reader x Defender Strange

Synopsis: The reader finally gives in to her desires. The rules are established and she has her first night with Defender.

Word Acount: 8k

Warnings: Poly relationship dinamics. Sexual content including oral sex with male and female receiving, masturbation with male receiving, p n v umprotected sex and creampie.

A/N: This is almost a series now, and I'm not going to apologize for that. I really love writing this foursome relationship. Anyway, this happens chronologically after part I. Also, part 4 with the first time with Supreme is coming.

SERIES MASTERLIST

"You can have me, baby. You can have us both."

Defender's words kept ringing in your head. You had barely slept and even at work you couldn't stop thinking about him. Not just him, but Stephen as well. You had a good life with Stephen and you were scared to death that you were going to lose it all for an adventure. But somehow, it didn't feel like it. It was so much more than that.

Defender had been living with you in the Sanctum for almost three months and you trusted him, you believed in his love for you and you were more than certain that you loved him too. Stephen had suggested it and you just had to say yes. It was what Defender had been waiting for last night. You knew very well that he expected your answer right away, but you couldn't get the words out of your mouth. You wanted him, you wanted them both, that's what you told him, but when he tried to kiss you, you couldn't let him. You still felt like you were cheating on Stephen and you could only go through with it if he was there, if the three of you were in the same room and all the rules were in place.

...

Defender was at the end of his last class of the day. It was an advanced class in combat, so he put them in pairs, asked each of them to create a weapon and watched them fight each other, interrupting here and there to make a few observations which the students readily complied with.

He liked to teach. It reminded him of his early years at Kamar Taj and the time he spent teaching in his own universe long before he became Sorcerer Supreme.

At first it was difficult to accept his situation there, going back to being subordinated to another was a blow to his already bruised ego, but at the same time he was relieved not to have to carry the weight of another universe on his shoulders.

He hated the guilty feeling that filled his mind every time he remembered what had happened to his own universe and even though he knew and everyone said it wasn't his fault, he couldn't change the way he felt and he couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe that was why he felt so insecure about everything and especially about Y/n. Because everyone knew he had failed, because she knew and maybe that was why she was hesitating to accept the proposal he had made. After all, why would she trust someone who allowed his own universe to be destroyed?

"Master Strange?" Defender was snapped out of his reverie and only then noticed that the students were looking at him, waiting for instructions.

"I'm sorry" He looked at his watch noticing that it was past time to end the class. "You did great today, I'm proud. We'll be back on Monday. You're dismissed."

The students nodded and left in pairs talking to each other. Stephen sighed, looking back at the clock. He was seriously considering spending the night at the Kamar Taj to try to clear his mind, but when he checked his cell phone there was a single message from Y/n.

WE NEED TO ESTABLISH RULES TO MAKE THIS WORK. I WOULD LIKE TO TALK, THE THREE OF US, TOGETHER. TONIGHT.

He felt his heart racing in his chest, a sudden anticipation taking over him. She had made a decision and that decision included him. He put his cell phone in his pocket and was ready to head back to the Sanctum when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked back and found Wong, hands behind his back as usual, walking towards him.

"Are you leaving yet?" Wong asked "I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

Stephen nodded.

"Your work with students has been spectacular, I've never seen them evolve so fast. The masters are as impressed as I am. Congratulations, Defender."

Stephen smiled shyly "It's the least I can do." He shook his head "They are great students, very young and yet extremely diligent. It fills me with joy to see them evolve so quickly."

Wong nodded "I want you to know that we are very happy to have you here with us."

Stephen smiled "It's a pleasure, Wong."

"I was wondering if you've made up your mind about coming to live here at Kamar Taj yet."

Defender looked away for a moment, thinking of how to explain that it would no longer be necessary to leave the Sanctum because Y/n had accepted his offer.

"I know why you want to get out of there." Wong said and Stephen felt his face blush and he looked away.

"You love Y/n."

"Is it that obvious?"

"From the first night I walked into that room I saw the way you looked at her."

Stephen wondered if he could be honest with Wong. He missed a friend. He actually missed his best friend who happened to be Wong from his universe. "I really appreciate the offer, but I've decided to stay at the Sanctum. It's what she wants." He sighed "She loves me too."

Wong smirked "Of course she does. She's been in love with Stephen Strange for years."

Defender chuckled nervously "It's not a very common situation, but we can make it work."

Wong thought for a moment "Nothing involving you is common, my friend, but I hope you manage to figure this out. You deserve to be happy." He patted Stephen on the shoulder and walked away muttering something to himself as usual.

Defender was silent watching him. Wong made it all look so simple, maybe things could be simple if they wanted them to be. He put on his Sling Ring and opened a portal to the Sanctum.

...

Stephen came home through the front door as he rarely did and found Y/n lying on the sofa in the living room, the TV on playing one of her Spotify playlists. Love is blindness was playing and she had her eyes closed, so focused on the music that she didn't even notice him approaching. Stephen dismissed Cloaky who went flying up the stairs.

"Someone's in love" He said touching her arm. She opened her eyes and grinned "With you. Always."

He bent down to kiss her lips and she sat up holding his hand as if afraid he was going to run away.

"Stay here with me. I was waiting for you to arrive, we need to talk."

Stephen knew exactly what she wanted to talk about, he was well prepared, he had plenty of time to think about it.

He sat up and she ran to snuggle into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck and inhaling heavily as if she wanted to absorb his scent into her lungs.

"I missed you." She whispered.

Stephen smiled stroking her hair "It's only been three days, sweetheart."

She hummed negatively "I don't mind, I don't like being away from you. I don't like sleeping alone."

Stephen smiled to himself. So she had slept alone, even though he gave space to Defender, she had denied his advances. He knew it was just a formality, that Y/n would eventually give in because she was in love with Defender, but even so, he was glad to hear it.

Anyway, his response was completely different "Defender promised me he would take care of you."

She looked up at him in surprise, Stephen could see her face blushing and somehow it was cute to see how the idea of ​​being shared by two Stephens made her so shy. "What’s that, sweetheart? Isn't that what you wanted?"

She finally seemed to find her voice "It was your idea, not mine!"

He chuckled "A mere formality. Deep down you know it's what you've always wanted since he arrived."

She bit her bottom lip "Defender and I talked yesterday..."

"And?"

She shrugged "I know he wanted something to happen but I couldn't. I kept thinking about you and that I would be cheating on you. I don't know if I can do this Stephen."

Stephen cupped her face "Sweetheart, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see how faithful you are to me, but I gave you permission to stay with Defender, he wouldn't have tried anything yesterday if I hadn't talked to him before. I trust him."

Stephen remembered very well the conversation he'd had with Defender four days earlier. It wasn't easy saying what he needed to say, but he was surprised that he felt so much affection for his annoyingly perfect variant. It was more than clear that Defender was a noble and loyal man.

"But I think we have to have rules and I don't want to do anything before those rules are in place." She stated.

Stephen smiled caressing her face. "You're right. You should make the rules."

Y/n stared at him in surprise "But... I thought..."

"Sweetheart, it is you who will be shared by two men, you must feel comfortable and safe."

“I’ll text him then, asking him to come home so we can talk.”

Stephen nodded “Good idea.”

...

It was Saturday and you were late for work. You hated working on Saturdays, especially when Stephen was home and you could spend the morning with him in bed like you liked to do, but duty was calling.

You left him sleeping in bed, you didn't even bother to say goodbye because you didn't want to wake him up. You grabbed your purse and hurried downstairs ready to leave when you bumped into Defender at the bottom of the stairs.

"I was just going to call you for breakfast. I didn't know you were going to work today."

You smiled at him and then look at your watch. "No time to eat, but I'll have a cup of coffee."

He grinned and you follow him into the kitchen. There were scrambled eggs and crispy bacon on the table. He handed you the cup of coffee and without resisting you stole a slice of bacon.

"This is really good" You said with your mouth full and he smiled watching you closely.

"Y/n..." He seemed to weigh his words "I was thinking, after our conversation yesterday, that maybe... well, if you're not busy...” He sighed “Would you like to go out to dinner with me? Tonight?"

You smiled feeling your face heat up. It felt like you were in some kind of dream. You were reliving it all over again, the passion, the hesitation, the first date.

He watched you intently as if analizing your expressions. "I'll understand if you think it's too soon..."

"Yes." You replied holding his hand which seemed to be shaking more than usual.

He looked at you seemed surprised "Yes?"

You nodded "Yes, of course."

"At 7pm?"

"Perfect." You took one last sip of coffee and set the cup in the sink and were turning to leave when you thought for a second and then rose on tiptoe and kissed him. Just a peck, like you usually did when you said goodbye to your Stephen. So natural. "See you."

You didn't wait to see his reaction, you were already more than late, so you just turned and left.

...

Stephen was lying in bed propped up on a pile of pillows, his laptop propped on his stomach as he typed rapidly. He had just returned from one of the Avengers' weekly meetings and promised Stark that he would take a look at the files he sent about a possible threat. Stephen hadn't found any evidence of magic in the files, whatever it was had nothing to do with him and that's exactly what he was writing in an email addressed to Tony Stark. He could call, but he preferred to keep his distance sometimes.

He noticed when Y/n walked into the room after arriving from work, it was after 6pm and she seemed rushed like she was late for something.

"Hello to you too, sweetheart."

He said closing the laptop and getting up and following her into the bathroom. She were already in the shower washing her hair quickly.

"Would you mind working your magic to dry my hair?" She asked "I never ask, but I don't want to go out with wet hair. I ended up being late from work."

Stephen leaned against the doorframe "May I know where you're going?" He asked even though he already had an idea. He had seen Defender come home with a box that looked a lot like a new suit. Apparently, she had given in to his advances.

Y/n finished rinsing her hair and started to soap herself quickly then turned to him "Defender invited me to dinner. I accepted."

Stephen shook his head. He was still trying to understand how that made him feel. He wasn't mad, in fact he kind of liked knowing that Defender was taking things slow and not taking her for granted. He was jealous, of course, but it wasn't a bitter, resentful thing.

She got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her body and walked over to him and only then Stephen noticed that he hadn't said any of that to her, he just stood there watching her completely lost in his thoughts.

She touched his face "You're not mad, are you? I only accepted because we already talked and we already established the rules and you seemed to agree..."

"I'm not mad, sweetheart. I'm just taking it all in slowly. No need to worry." He caressed her face with the back of his hand and then kissed her lightly and snapped his fingers. Her hair was dry a second later. "You are welcome."

She smiled openly pulling him in for a much deeper kiss. Her fingers threaded through his hair and his arms wrapped around her waist. It was her who pulled away, her face turning slightly pink.

"I'll be late."

He nodded, smiling "I'll let you get ready then."

Stephen went back to bed feeling the tiredness of the day bearing down on him. It had been a few nights since he'd been sleeping well and he wasn't surprised when he felt his eyes getting heavy. Perhaps he would take advantage of the silence to get some rest. Sleeping would definitely be better than lying awake and wondering what you were doing with his variant. Though he had his doubts that Defender would be so bold, he was getting ready to let her have her first night with him and it wasn't exactly the easiest thing he'd ever done in his life.

He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of her heels clicking on the polished wood floor. He was silent watching her and his heart sped up.

She were dressed in a black midi dress with thin straps that left her shoulders and neck quite exposed, the neckline was modest, but her breasts were full so it was enough to drive any man crazy. Her hair was loose in waves and a discreet makeup finished the look with elegance.

"So..." Y/n asked turning around so he could see from all angles.

He sat on the bed beckoning her to come over. She obeyed and took his hand.

"You look stunning, sweetheart."

He watched her cheeks turn pink.

"You don't think it's… too much?"

He denied "No, it's perfect. He'll be delighted."

She smiled and then seemed to think for a second. "Stephen… are you sure you're okay with this? I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me."

He nodded reassuringly and then kissed her hand. "I'm fine, don't worry. Enjoy your night. I'm sure he'll take good care of you."

She bent down to kiss his lips softly and then left.

...

Defender was waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs which ridiculously reminded you of that scene from Titanic and made you giggle which made him turn and look at you. A beautiful smile on his lips.

"You look beautiful, Y/n" He said taking your hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss it which made you giggle again.

"You're so charming, Stephen. And I don’t even need to say that you look handsome, right? You always do. But I loved the suit."

You watched in wonder as his cheeks turned slightly pink with the praise.

He took you to a nice Italian restaurant that you hadn't been to before. When you got there he informed that there was a reservation for a couple in the name of Stephen Strange. The attendant tried to hide it as much as he could, but he seemed to be intimidated.

The two of you sat down and Stephen asked for their wine catalogue, frowning as he looked at the names on it. "They are not the same I knew."

You smiled and he handed the card to you who opted for a red that you already knew well and that Stephen liked, you just hoped that the taste of both would be the same.

"Nice place, may I know how you chose it?"

He looked away for a moment and then admitted "Wong indicated."

You shook your head "Does he know about us?"

He shook his head "Does that displease you?"

You bit the inside of your cheek and waited for the waiter to set the bottle of wine you requested on the table. Defender opened the bottle and poured both glasses.

"I'm still trying to figure this all out, it would be nice if we could just keep it to ourselves for now."

He nodded "I didn't say much, he deduced most of it. Apparently, it was obvious from the first time we met."

You took a sip from the glass "It was kind of obvious. The way you looked at me, I mean."

He smirked "You have no idea what it was like for me to finally see you after so long just dreaming about you."

"I'm glad you're here. Even though the circumstances are bad, I'm glad I met you."

He took a sip of wine and then smiled "Me too." He pointed to his glass. "Good wine"

"It's Stephen's favorite so I thought..." You stopped, afraid of making him uncomfortable but he just smiled at you "You thought I would like it too because after all we are the same person."

You nodded a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I don't really know how to handle this, so I assume it's all the same, but I really don't have a clue."

"I don't really care. But to be honest it's hard to know what's the same and what's different. Maybe you'll have to help me figure it out."

You smiled shyly "I can do that."

You ordered your dishes and the conversation flowed easily. All your fears and shyness seemed to melt away under Defender Strange's charm.  You loved hearing him talk about his life in his universe and the things he was discovering that were different here. It was fascinating for you.

"So, imagine my surprise to discover that everyone drives on the left here and only in England do they drive on the right." He said laughing and finishing his glass of wine.

You rested your hand on your chin watching him. His laugh was a bit deeper, but it was the exact same laugh and your heart was racing at the sound.

"I'm sorry I just got carried away." He said and you shook your head reaching your hand across the table and he held it in his.

"I love hearing your stories. It's fascinating to me. And I like to see you laugh, you're always so serious."

He sighed "You promised me you'd tell me more about yourself, but you made me talk about myself all night."

You smirked "I'm sorry, like I said, I like to hear your stories. And I don't have much to say about me. You've been living with me long enough to know I'm a boring person. I work, I'm an accountant. The only thing that's interesting about me apparently is that I fell into the good graces of the great Stephen Strange. People seem to think it's amazing."

He disagreed "You're amazing to me. And now people can be doubly surprised because you've managed to make another Stephen Strange fall in love with you and that's not an ordinary thing."

You gave a small giggle "Not ordinary at all. But I feel like I didn't have to do much and neither did you. It's almost like we were destined to fall in love with each other."

Defender squeezed your hand in his "Do you really believe that?"

You smiled "Don't you?"

...

By the time the two of you made it back to the Sanctum, Defender felt the anticipation building in his chest. He tried to convince himself that he shouldn't expect anything more than a kiss of good night, but the night went so well and even though he hadn't done that in a while, he could swear he got all the signs right. You wanted him just as he wanted you and it made sense that you would sleep together. Not because he had any claim on you, but because it seemed to be what you both wanted.

"I really enjoyed our night together, Stephen." You said breaking the silence.

He smiled and you two stopped at the bottom of the stairs "I'm very happy to hear that." He held your hand in his "I was nervous, I still am, actually, but I just want you to know how happy going out with you tonight made me."

"It made me happy too." You said and then you approached him and he knew it was time. He cupped your face and pulled it to his lips. Your lips moved together slowly and then you wrapped your arms around his neck and let out an adorable little moan that seemed to beg him to deepen the kiss and that's exactly what he did. His tongue entered your mouth tentatively, exploring yours and letting you dominate him. It was you who broke the kiss to breathe, but when you stepped away, you were both panting.

You smiled shyly at him, your face slightly pink and then the two of you start to walk up the stairs in silence. He didn't want to leave you, he would be able to beg you not to let him sleep alone after a night like you had, but Defender knew that it was better to go easy on you so he stopped at his bedroom door ready to say goodbye, but to his surprise you hesitated for a second.

"I'm not sleepy. Is it okay if I stay with you a little longer?"

He smirked "Of course."

You thought for a moment and looked towards yours and Stephen’s shared room.

"I should put on some comfortable clothes, but I don't want to wake him up if he's sleeping..."

"I can lend you mine if you want to." He offered.

You smiled, a twinkle appearing in your eyes, "Thank you."

He shook his head, opening the bedroom door "Come in."

He closed the door behind you and watched as you suddenly seemed shy in his presence. That made him smile to himself. The idea that you had been together with your Stephen for almost three years but were shy about being alone with him in his room was a little odd to him, but he could understand.

He went to the wardrobe and got some sweatpants and a t-shirt and handed it to you and then he took you to the bathroom "Make yourself comfortable."

...

You closed the bathroom door and looked in the mirror noting that your face was completely red. You knew why you were there and it definitely wasn't because you didn't want to wake Stephen. Of course, you cared about his sleep, but you knew very well how to enter the room without waking him up, you always did that.

No, the truth was, you wanted Defender. You wanted to finally feel his lips on you, his touch on your skin, discover the similarities and differences between them. You've wanted this for a long time. And now it was a matter of making the deal official.

You took off your shoes and got rid of the dress and then you looked at the clothes on the counter and smirked to yourself putting the T-shirt on. You sighed deeply and then opened the door and walked out of the bathroom. Stephen was distracted picking up some clothes that were lying on top of the small divan.

"The pants don't fit me." You said.

He stared at you with his mouth slightly open in surprise to see you like that. His shirt covered your ass without difficulty, but you made sure to grab the hem of the shirt and lift it up subtly to show him more of your thighs. You bit your bottom lip mischievously  "It's more comfortable that way."

Defender threw the clothes he was holding back onto the divan and walked towards you and wrapped you in his arms, his lips seeking yours with overwhelming passion.

You held his face in your hands as he lifted you onto his lap, your legs wrapping around his waist and without holding back you grinded your hips towards his growing bulge eliciting a moan from his lips.

He broke the kiss and looked at you as if he wanted to confirm that you really wanted it, but before he could ask, you replied "I want this, I want you, Defender. I've always wanted you."

He carried you to his bed and sat you down on the mattress and then got rid of his suit jacket and began to unbutton his shirt too slowly for your liking. When he finally undid the last button you helped him out of his shirt and then you took a second to watch him.

It was different. His chest had a thin layer of hair, as well as his arms that you had already noticed in the rare times you saw him in a Tshirt. In addition, there were numerous scars on his chest, ribs and abdomen. Deep scars from wounds that you thought were extremely dangerous.

"Is it really that different?" He asked and you shook your head "I'm sorry I shouldn't..."

He touched your face "It's okay, I don't care. You can look at it all you want."

You smiled shyly "These scars..." You traced one of his scars with your fingers "What happened?"

He sighed "That's what you get when you fight alone against a horde of hell hounds."

You agreed, deciding you didn't want to talk about it. You hated the thought of monsters trying to kill your boyfriend, any one of them apparently. You lowered your hands to the waistband of his trousers "May I?"

He nodded and you unbuttoned it and he was quick to kick the shoes off and helped you get rid of his trousers, he took the opportunity to get rid of his socks too, just staying in his black boxers. You could see he was half hard already and you couldn't wait to find out if there were differences down there too. There was a fine layer of hair on his thighs as well. Not that you minded, even though you weren't a fan of body hair, you couldn't deny that that small amount made him even hotter.

He smirked "Can I see you now, baby?"

You smiled, melting with the pet name. It was so sweet and so intimate at the same time.

You shook your head and then got rid of the T-shirt. You weren't wearing a bra and his eyes seemed to darken with desire when he saw your bare breasts, your nipples hard in the cool night air.

He couldn't help himself, his hands touched your nipples gently and then he pinched them between his middle and index fingers "You're gorgeous baby. You have no idea how long I wished I could touch you."

You smiled "You can touch me now. I'm yours Stephen. Now I'm yours too."

He pulled you to his lips kissing you tenderly and you surrendered to the kiss lying down on the mattress and pulling him on top of your body, your legs opening for him to settle between them. Both moaned together as his bulge rubbed your core giving a glimpse of relief. He moved his hips against you a few times and you moaned louder feeling him getting harder and harder for you. At that point you were already totally wet for him.

"Stephen..."

He hummed, pulling his lips away from yours but moving them to your neck, biting on your skin lightly and smoothing it with the tip of his tongue.

"Please..." You whispered, feeling your body asking for more of him, but he wasn't in a hurry, it was like he wanted to taste every inch of your skin to make sure you were real, that you were really there within his reach .

He lowered his lips to your breasts, kissing one and then the other and finally taking a bud between his teeth and then circling his tongue over it. You groaned, your hands instinctively going to his hair, your fingers searching for the hair tie and removing it letting his hair fall free.

He looked at you smiling and you bit your lower lip. "You are so beautiful like that."

He kissed your lips again "Tell me I'm yours. Tell me I'm your Stephen, too." He asked and you grinned "You are." You replied and he went back down to your breasts, but now he didn't stop there, he continued placing kisses and nibbles on your belly and hips, making your skin prickle with the feel of his beard. He didn't let this go unnoticed, he took his hands to the waistband of your panties pulling slowly and rubbing his chin on the delicate skin purposefully to make you shiver.

"You're mine, Stephen. God… please, touch me."

He smiled confidently and pulled your panties down your feet and throwed them somewhere on the floor and didn’t wait even a second to dive between your legs, the feel of the contact making you gasp, but he just kissed your pussy and then looked at you as if asking for permission "You're sure about this, baby?"

You touched his face and nodded your head. He gave your slit a long lick making your whole body shiver. He did it again and again, making you wet with his saliva and then he directed his attention to your clit sucking it gently and then licking your slit again, lingering at your entrance where he licked and sucked.

Your moans got louder as his pace increased. You even tried to control them, but it was impossible. Defender was making you feel so good.

"Oh, you're doing it so good. It feels so good..."

He hummed satisfied with the praise and continued his work with an absurd devotion. It was as if he was enjoying every second to worship you, as if his only objective was to give you pleasure and you were sure that he was doing it very well. You could feel your entire body responding to him and the familiar feeling of an approaching orgasm, your legs started to shake.

"Fuck, Stephen, you're gonna make me cum..."

You were surprised. You loved oral sex and Stephen did it very well, but you always relied on penetration to cum, Stephen always used his fingers, but Defender didn't and you didn't feel like you needed them. Just the feel of him sucking on your clit interspersed with the licks at your entrance and the way he sucked up all your juices and spit them back out and went back to sucking was enough to make the tension rise and the knot deep in your belly break.

Your hands let go of the sheet you were gripping so tightly and gripped his hair, pulling hard and loving the feeling as your orgasm finally washed over you. Defender didn't stop eating you until all the shaking stopped and he was sure you were finished.

"Lord, I've never come so fast with oral. You do it so well." You admitted.

He smiled, rubbing his hand through his beard, cleaning himself of your fluids and you caressed his hair "I love your hair, you look so handsome with long hair."

You watched in delight as his face turned slightly pink. He placed a kiss on the inside of your thigh "You're a flatterer, you know that?"

Voce gave a small laugh "But it's true and I like to praise what's mine."

Defender smirked and crawled over to you pulling you to his lips. "You have no idea how much I wanted to taste you, I've thought about it for so long, the moment I would be between your legs, eating you."

You bit his bottom lip teasing "And?"

"The sweetest pussy I've ever tasted."

You giggled feeling so comfortable with him that all anticipation for the first time seemed to fade, suddenly it was like you'd already made love to him a hundred times.

"Must have been a lot because you, Defender Strange, you seem to have a PhD in pussy eating."

He chuckled nuzzling his face in yours "That good, uh?" You shook your head "I already told you. I've never come so fast."

He caressed your face "I could do that for the rest of my life, just stay between your legs, pleasuring you."

"Hm, who's the flatterer now?" You asked and then you kissed him again, his lips parting for you to deepen the kiss, your tongue exploring his mouth with passion and a low moan escaping his lips which made your skin prickle. Defender was so sweet. Your Stephen was affectionate, but Defender was soft. You didn't have words to describe how he made you feel.

You rested both hands on his chest "I want to see you" You said kissing his lips softly "I want to touch you now."

He pulled away and rolled to the side on the bed lying on the pillows and you wasted no time, you rolled over him, passing one leg over his hip and purposely positioning yourself on his hard shaft. He watched you intently waiting for you to act and you kissed him ardently and then lowered your lips to his neck, lightly nipping the area below his ear while your nails scratched his chest. You were loving it and next thing you know you were grinding yourself over his shaft to get some relief and eliciting shy moans from his lips. But when you took one of his nipples in your lips and pinched the other he couldn't help it, he moaned loudly and that was the sound you liked best in the world.

"Fuck, baby, you're such a tease.”

You grinned moving over his bulge. He was rock hard now and you couldn't contain yourself anymore, you wanted to see him, take him in your mouth and make him moan the way you did your Stephen moan.

"Feels like my teasing worked, you're so hard, Stephen."

He closed his eyes feeling you grinding yourself into him "Please, need you, love, touch me."

You kissed his lips softly and dismounted finally grabbing the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his hips for you to take them off, his dick finally showing. He had a lot of pubic hair in there, they were trimmed, but compared to your Stephen, it was a lot and your mind automatically imagined what it would feel like rubbing your clit.

You felt your mouth water with anticipation to have him, but you decided to take it slow. You took him in hand stroking him up and down slowly but firmly enough to make him moan, this time louder than before.

You brought your thumb up to his head, collecting a drop of precum and circling it lightly.

"Oh god, it feels so good." He praised softly.

"I haven't done much of anything yet, Stephen." You replied chuckling and then you held him in both hands and spat on him using the saliva to help you slide your hands up and down, stroking him now fast. A wet, obscene sound reached your ears and made you even wetter between your legs than you already were.

His cock throbbed in your hand and you bit your bottom lip, trying not to moan "You're so big, Stephen. You have such a nice cock. I love it. Can't wait to have it stretching me and making me feel so good."

Defender cupped your face, his voice was a mere whisper "Ride me, baby. I want to be inside you so badly."

You smiled openly "Of course, but I want to have a taste of you first. Can I put your cock in my mouth, please?"

"Yes" He replied almost immediately "Show me how you do it, baby."

You spit on his dick again and gave a couple of jerks and then put it in your mouth, just the head, working your tongue around it, flicking it on his frenulum and making him whimper. Your hand was firmly around his length , stroking him nice and steady, the other stroking his balls, ensuring no part was left unstimulated.

He brought one hand up to your hair holding it firmly away from your face so he could get a good view of you going down on him, the other hand was in the sheets, squeezing them so tightly his knuckles were white.

"Oh, just like that, baby. You do it so good. So good to me..." He cooed totally surrendered to the pleasure you gave him. The moans and groans were like music to your ears and little by little you started taking him deeper and deeper into your mouth, bobbing your head on his length and when you felt confident enough you swallowed him whole letting him go to the back of your throat. He groaned in surprise and you held him there for a few seconds feeling him throb violently.

"Oh my god, baby, you're gonna make me cum like that, I'm so fucking deep..."

You just hummed satisfied in response and then took it fully out of your mouth to breathe, spit ran down your chin and tears rolled down your cheeks, but you smiled proudly at him and then moved your lips down to his balls, sucking them slowly because they were so full and you knew they would be sensitive. Your hand continued to stroke him.

"Y/n, you're gonna make me cum. Is that what you want, baby?"

"Uh hum" You replied biting your lips "You'll have another round for me, won't you?"

He shook his head, unable to voice his response.

"Then give it to me, Stephen."

He moaned as you put it in your mouth again going all the way down and then taking it out completely and then repeating over and over again. "Fuck... can I cum in your mouth, baby?"

You hummed in response, stroking him and bobbing your head on his head while stroking his balls in a circular motion.

"That's it, love, take it." He came hard and a lot. His load seemed endless and he had the exact same taste as your Stephen. You swallowed some, but some trickled down your chin. He was panting when you finally took him out of your mouth.

"Oh, that was amazing, Y/n. You really know how to do it. Fuck, baby, that was the best blow job I ever had."

You ran your fingers across your chin and sucked on them with a popping sound making a show for him. He grinned.

"You taste really good, Steph."

He raised an eyebrow "Steph?"

You crawled on top of him wrapping your legs around his hips and directing him inside you. He stayed hard after cuming which was no surprise, your Stephen could take several rounds easily on a good day and stamina seemed to be equal in both.

"That's how I call my Stephen, and since you're mine too, I think I can call you that too, don't you agree?" You reached down letting him slide inside you easily, stretching you perfectly just the way you liked it.

"Yes, baby. You can call me whatever you want. I'm yours."

You started to move, rocking yourself on top of him, fucking him nice and hard keeping your pace fast and intense.

"Oh yes, just like that, baby, fuck me."

You smiled openly, realizing what you had already subtly noted. Defender was way more submissive than your Stephen and you loved that.

He brought both hands to your ass helping you keep your movements steady. You rested both hands on his chest, closing your eyes and leaning your head back, letting yourself be carried away by the wonderful pleasure you felt.

"You look so fucking beautiful riding me like this, baby. You feel so good."

You moaned loudly, his praises having a strong effect on you. "Yeah? You like the feeling of my pussy around your cock, baby? Tell me how good it feels."

Defender moved his arms to your hips and turned quickly and a second later you were under him. He guided his cock back inside you and leaned forward to kiss you. You wrapped your legs around his waist, trapping them behind his back and allowing him to enter you really deep.

"It feels this good" He replied thrusting against you and making you moan loudly "So good, your pussy feels so good, baby."

You cupped his face with both hands as he thrusted into you nice and hard, but at the same time slow and so intense. He was making love with you in slow motion and it was so different and so good, you were literally melting under him. You felt so hot, sweat making your skin stick to the sheets.

"Stephen... you're gonna make me cum. You feel so good, your cock feels so good, it’s so big and it’s so deep..."

Defender took your praises in a deep kiss. "You can cum, baby, I'm right after you."

You felt your body responding to his words, the familiar tremor deep in your belly building again, the knot threatening to break.

"Tell me you love me Steph, tell me how much you wanted me."

He buried his face in the crook of your neck thrusting harder against you "More than anything, baby. I love you more than anything. I wanted you so badly. You're making me so happy, so good to know you're mine too." His voice broke with his moans and the sound right in your ear made your whole body shiver and it was too much for you. You came, your walls clenching around him, your cum creaming him, your nails biting the skin on his back leaving angry marks.

"That's it, baby, give it to me. You're squeezing me so hard... fuck, baby, I wanna cum to. Can I cum inside you?"

You were still coming back from your high and the words seemed to have disappeared from your head, so you just nodded.

"Tell me I can cum. I need you to say it. Can you do that for me?"

You cupped his face looking straight into his oceanic eyes "Cum for me, Stephen. Cum inside me. I wanna feel you cuming inside me, please."

Stephen groaned aloud, but you pulled him to your lips and felt his hot load spurting inside you, painting your walls white. It felt so good, so right. He pulled away for air, he was panting, but there was a wide smile on his lips. He leaned his forehead against yours.

"I love you, Y/n. I Love you so, so much."

You kissed him tenderly "I love you too, Defender Strange."

He kissed your lips softly and rolled over and got up. "Just give me a minute, I'll clean you up."

You shook your head watching as he walked away towards the bathroom. You lay there staring at the ceiling, an open smile on your lips. You've fantasized about that moment so many times and it turned out to be better than any fantasy. He was perfect. Different from Stephen, but at the same time just as wonderful. You were delighted.

He came back with a towel in his hands and cleaned you gently as if he had already done it dozens of times. He went back to the bathroom to get rid of the dirty towel and when he got back to the bedroom he took the opportunity to get a pair of sweatpants from the wardrobe. He quickly put it on and then grabbed his shirt that he had lent you from the floor.

"Sit down, baby, let me get you dressed."

You obeyed by putting your arms up and he dressed you quickly. You went back to lay down and he came around the bed and lay down next to you holding out his arm for you to snuggle close to him.

"You are so sweet, Stephen." You said nuzzling your face in his, inhaling deeply to smell him. He squeezed you in his arms.

"So, we're really doing this." You said unable to be silent, too excited to sleep.

"Are you repented?" He asked, stroking your arm with his fingertips.

"What do you think?" You lifted your face to meet his eyes and before he could answer, you cupped his face and kissed him deeply.

He smiled "I think every second that passes I love you more. And I think there are important things we need to talk about."

You nodded "Like what?"

"Birth control. I imagine you and Stephen have it all figured out, but I need to know."

You bit your lips "You just came inside me and now you're asking?"

"I asked if I could do it first. Remember?"

You chuckled "Okay, well, I'm on pill. Stephen and I agreed we don't want a baby, so..."

"Good." He caressed your face with the back of his hand "There are other places where I'd like to cum next time."

You felt your face heat up.

"Don't tell me you're shy now."

"I'm not. It's just that... it was our first time, but for me it feels like we've done it so many times, but at the same time I still need to get used to it all."

"I know. I feel that way too."

You smoothed a lock of his hair and then gently tucked it behind his ear. He took your hand and brought it to his lips and kissed each finger slowly.

...

You opened your eyes the next morning and were greeted by blue eyes glancing at you intently and you had the impression that they had been looking at you for a very long time.

"Good morning" His voice sounded huskier than you were used to.

You gave him a lazy smile followed by a long yawn. "What are you doing?"

He grinned and then kissed your forehead lingeringly. "Trying to convince myself I'm not dreaming this time."

You pulled him to your lips kissing him softly. "And what conclusion did you come to?"

"That is much better than in my dreams."

"See, you are the flatterer, Defender Strange."

He caressed your face sighing "You know, I think only a certain amount of happiness is allowed to a man."

"What do you mean?"

"That to have you I had to lose everything else."

You stared at him confused, your hand cupping his face "It doesn't seem fair."

He turned his face to kiss her palm. "No, but I wouldn't change a thing."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing!

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[bimobuddy]

Lazy Day

Tickle fic about Bimo <3

Tal is my sona, and technically me, but I feel more comfortable writing in the third person, so that is what I'm going to do

edit: Oops, I forgot to credit Avery and Casper to @guppygiggles sorry friend ^^

Summary: Bimo has been sleeping all day, Tal tries to get him up

Bimo lounged on the couch, belly down, his paws propped up on the arm rest and his tail flicking lazily. His ear twitched at the slightest disturbance somewhere in the distance. It was an old house, it creaked sometimes. With his cheek squished up against his arm, his eyes fluttered shut once more, ready for his third nap of the day.

A nap that was interrupted before it even started by the back door creaking open and clicking shut once more. Keys jingled before being set on the counter, and the gentle thud of a bag being placed on the kitchen table, where a certain someone knew it didn't belong.

Soft footsteps approached the couch where Bimo rested, and his ear cocked toward his housemate as they leaned over the back of the couch.

"You've been sleeping all day, Bee. I was gone for three hours and you were napping when I left, too."

Bimo opened his eye at the sound of Tal's voice and lazily turned his head to look up at them, noticing how the sun hit their pink fur. He huffed out a slight chuckle, not bothering to sit up. "I'm having a lazy day."

Tal laughed, "So just a normal Wednesday for you. Have you gotten up at all today?" They made their way around the couch, softly skittering fingers over his paws as they passed by.

Bimo huffed and jerked his legs back, his tail instinctively coming up to cover the undersides of his feet. "Of course I have. I've gotten up to eat lunch, to drink water- ... Okay so there hasn't been a lot of up today."

"Maybe you should get up and walk around for a bit then, stretch your legs.. Sitting still all day isn't good for you, and you know that." They replied, sitting down on the edge of the couch to avoid sitting on his legs.

The blue cat sighed. "I'm nocturnal, I can't help it."

"You're not nocturnal, you just say that so I don't get on you about working at night. I'm a cat too, you can't fool me."

Bimo opened an eye and glanced up at his housemate. "You're one to talk about sleep schedules, Mx. Two-In-The-Morning-Isn't-Late."

Countless times he's been up working only to pass by Tal's room and see them up watching TV or in bed on their phone. The latest he's ever seen them still up was 4 am, and he stepped in to remind them to get some sleep. But he also couldn't deny that they had a point. His sleep habits weren't the healthiest either. He'd sleep all day, and then get a boost of energy in the evening to get started on biology work.

Bimo got too much sleep, and Tal got too little.

The pink cat started to gently shake him by the shoulder. "Bimooo, get up already. We're supposed to meet Avery and Casper today anyway. You keep accepting Avery's invitations to nerd science dinners." They said, though their tone was light and not a real complaint. Tal loved seeing them.

"Don't act like you don't also enjoy those 'nerd science dinners,' Talon, you also pop in when it gets to a subject you like and- oh a little lower actually~" he purred, not at all bothered by Tal pushing on his shoulder. In fact he seemed to enjoy it.

Their ear twitched in mild irritation. They loved their friend to death, but he was a pain to get up sometimes. But they also had a feeling he was being difficult on purpose.

"A little lower? You mean here?" They slipped their fingers under his arm and wiggled, drawing a startled giggle out of him.

The bigger cat pulled his arms in and presses them down against his sides, instinctively trying to block out the tickling. "Ru- Ruhude! Tahahalon!" Despite his protests, Tal knew he was enjoying himself. It wasn't something he often admitted out loud, but he made it clear he enjoyed it. For example, his body was still relaxed, he made no real attempt to move or push them away, and he was purring. The purring always gave him away.

He buried his face into his pillow as he laughed, and Tal quickly snatched his glasses off before he could accidentally bend or break them, setting them on the end table.

"Bee, just gehet up!" They laughed and brought both hands up and gently dug into the sides of his belly, tickling faster. The sooner he got up, the sooner they could get ready and head to Avery's.

His ears folded back and he snorted, finally moving a little and turning over onto his side, which just prompted the smaller cat to start gently pinching his lower belly. "Wahait wahahait, Tahahal!"

"Wait for what? For you to get up and put real pants on? I am!" They teased, skittering across his tummy and back up his sides, slipping their hands underneath his sweater.

Bimo gently grabbed their wrists, laughing harder, a nice dark blue spreading across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "I hahave pahants ohon!"

"Pajama pants don't count, Beebs," they pulled their hands out from under his sweater and wiggled their fingers in the air, "Get up, or you know where I'm going next~" Their hands passed over his hips, past his knees, until they were hovering over his paws, where Bimo's tail quickly covered them.

"A-Alright, Ahalright, I'm uhup.." The blue cat pushed himself off the couch and stood up with a big stretch, his knees popping as he did so. He yawned and grabbed his glasses, slipping them back on, grateful that Tal had thought about them.

He jumped a little as he felt a smaller body press against his in a hug, trying to wrap their arms around him, followed by a light purring, which in turn triggered his much deeper purr, which was more like a rumble in his chest. He wrapped his tail around them affectionately.

"I'll go get dressed, and we'll head down to the lighthouse." He said, gently prying pink paws off of him so he could follow through with his plan.

Tal nodded and let go of him, sitting down. "Sounds good, I'll be here."

With that, he turned and left the sitting room, heading up toward his bedroom, the ancient staircase complaining and groaning under his weight. Once in his room, he changed out of his pajama pants into something more suitable for a visit with friends, and slipped on a sweater that looked nearly identical to the one he had previously had on, only it was a slightly lighter shade of pink. He didn't have much variation in his wardrobe.

When he descended the stairs and entered the sitting room again, he found Tal leaned back against the couch, asleep.

With a fond sigh and a shake of the head, he carefully lifted his smaller friend into his arms and carried them out toward the car.

[xx0yeet-everything0xx]

going to quickly self-advertise my jercy fic: in which, instead of percy and annabeth, JASON and PERCY fall into tartarus!! woohoooo (below is an excerpt of the middle of the first chapter hehe)

· · ·

[jason] took hold of the winds bringing them closer to tartarus— as if they were puppet strings— and, with all he had in him, he pulled. as if his body was simulating his powers on a physical level, he felt himself pull the rope too, with a strength he didn't know he had. percy, annabeth, and nico were propelled far away from the range of the ledge they were at, crumbling on the floor behind him. hazel too went backwards, her back slamming into the wall. the wind didn't really affect jason: he didn't move.

although the adrenaline hadn't quite faded from him, the mix of relief and exhaustion hit him, and he let out a few tired swear-words. "annabeth!" hazel yelled and ran ahead to her, hugging the fatigued and stricken girl tight. in the gesture, they both took a step closer to the edge and jason winced.

"please," he croaked. "back off from the chasm, guys." he wanted to sigh but found it unnervingly difficult to take a proper breath. all eyes turned to him, but no one argued. the side of nico's head was bleeding from that crash against the ledge and he stumbled once when walking but pointedly denied percy's help. the other boy helped anyway. hazel steadied annabeth, still holding her in a half-hug and saying something to her as they walked towards the ship.

they were all quite far behind him, away from the ledge, when he felt the force that had tried to drag them down come again, but he was ready for it. he kept a strong hold of the winds, although the effort was making him dizzy and weak. "hurry," he said to the rest of them, but his voice came out so ragged he wondered if they could hear him properly. "the ground's unstable."

percy looked at him for a moment too long. a frown creased his eyebrows. "you hurry as well, man."

he wanted to smile but could only manage a weirdly twisted expression instead. "i can fly," he said. but, in the state he was, he knew that he sure as fuck could not. annabeth had boarded the ship first; she collapsed on the spot. hazel was climbing up the ladder, and nico was behind her. he watched with a spectator's dull stare, then remembered that he needed to move as well.

right then, jason realised how close he was to the pit. how had he even gotten there? he hadn't moved at all. yet there was the gateway to tartarus, hardly a metre besides him. he blinked. the pull coming from it had disappeared. just as well, because he was completely drained. even if it were a matter of life and death, he doubted he could even summon sparks.

its a trap, his rational would've known. but he was starting to see things in a blur, and all he could think was that he had to stand straight.

he took a step forward and swayed. he felt lightheaded. looking up, he saw percy's face: he was saying something, along the lines of, "are you okay?"

then he felt something pull him backwards. percy wasn't pulled though, and jason vaguely wondered whether it was a certain vengeance reserved for him. he didn't even try to fight it— he couldn't, really. his vision had turned grainy, like a spoilt television screen with coloured images just breaking through.

he was saying something. what was he saying? he felt his lips moving to form the same words again and again. later, he would learn that he was saying, "stay away. i'm alright."

tartarus didn't even need to drag him into the pit: jason did that for him. his balance and energy finally gave up, and he fell.

· · · read it from the start on ao3!! · · ·

and if u do read it comments would be appreciated ty 🥹👀👀

[arcplaysgames]

okay with THAT dissertation done, the rest of the shit I've done so far, which is finishing up a lot of SLinks! I have now completed Temperance, Sun, Moon, and Death. Let's go over them.

GET READY FOR SOME CARTOMANCY TAAAAAALK

who me? what? don't know WHAT you could be implying Kawakami hahaha anyway how about this weather, btw i'm super happy for you. wow what a crazy random happenstance! you deserve it, i love you.

I KNEW IT, SHE KNOWS

When asked how she figured out, she points out that the thing with Takase's guardians worked out way too well for her and Reverie was the only person she told. Which... yeah, that makes it p5retty fucking obvious huh.

lmao as if Reverie going "I need their names," in the previous scene wasn't a massive flag. I am not playing this subtle but also Kawakami is smart and I adore her.

Her SLink is complete!!!! So far, she's the best one in the game, to my utter astonishment. I'm glad I muscled through the awful start because this SLink has everything: mocking the player's teacher-maid fetish, an incredibly mouthy cool millennial lady, a genuinely tragic backstory without being soap opera-y, sympathetic portray of sex workers. IT'S GOT IT ALL.

Kawakami was kind of a very Standard portrayal of Temperance. It's not a super interesting card, it's just about having the emotional strength to find the path forward and to find balance in yourself spiritually and materially. It's often portrayed as an angel passing water between two cups-- cups are the suit of emotional intelligence. And they're my favorite suit, personally.

Kawakami starts the arc solidly in a reversed Temperance, she can't balance anything, the goblets are overturned, and all of her emotional strength is just pouring out onto the floor because she is so overworked, there is no well for her to draw from. Through the arc, she actually shares her troubles with Reverie, which in of itself is a show of emotional strength, and with his help manages to rebalance herself. Finally, she can take her eyes off the cups and look ahead to her future.

TEN OUT OF TEN, SO FAR SHE'S MY FAVORITE CONFIDANT.

I haven't been recapping it because it's.... genuinely not a link that's easy to summarize bc its a lot of politics and small moments, but I finished the Sun too!

OH SO THAT'S THE JOKE OF EVERY LINK HUH, EVERYONE KNOWS WHO REVERIE REALLY IS that's pretty cute actually, I like it.

Yoshida was this failed politician who got disgraced twenty years ago in a finance scandal, now returned to try and take office again. His whole arc is about his new ideals of empowering the youth and taking care of the elderly, and with the rise of the Thieves, he acknowledges them as a symptom of a broken system that needs massive reform.

You follow him through some intra-party political issues and his recurring thing is that he sticks to running instead of being someone else's right hand man, even when doing so would clear his name from the finance scandal that ruined him.

I'm NOT gonna lie, his final speech is good. He speaks about Reverie, "a certain young man" he met who is aspiring to change the whole, and though Yoshida cannot follow the same path as this young man, he hopes they will meet again at the top of the mountain they are both climbing together, separate.

It's really good honestly. And for the curious, Yoshida is a very interesting Sun to me. The Sun comes at the end of the Star-Moon-Sun sequence and those three cards are basically their own mini-journey. The Star is the herald that the story isn't over and you must continue. The Moon is the darkness that follows, full of illusions and distractions and madness you have to navigate. And the Sun is the light that comes after, is exuberant and joyful, and more than anything it is certain in itself. In the light of the Sun, all is revealed and laid bare. (Which is why it leads into Judgement soon after.)

Yoshida works for the Sun really well because the twenty years of scandal and shame have already happened to him, and he has made it out to the other side. Now, his ideals and purpose are illuminated under the Sun and he never strays from his path.

It's good! Eight out of ten on him!

DEATH! Goth Doctor!

lmao she figured it out too. I guess that's just the joke of every max rank, huh?

Anyway, I loved Tae for The Unnamed Arcana. She's great. I love that she's actually a goth, actually has a very morbid sense of humor, actually talks about death a lot. They really leaned into the whole vibe and I appreciate that.

Also her look is impeccable obviously.

Tae's whole thing is that she's undergoing the process of Death, the transformation the card deals with. With the lost of her prestigious position at the research hospital, she is stuck working in a small back-alley clinic.

She definitely goes through a period of real mourning for her past self, resisting the forward motion of her life. But slowly she begins caring for the locals around her and builds a new patient base. Really, the drama with her past patient and the miracle cure for her is an afterthought; the Death aspect is definitely rooted in Tae herself. And by the end of the link, she is still dour and morbid, but there is life to her voice again.

She's great. Seven out of ten.

So Mishima.

SIGHS. Okay. I hate Mishima as a character and I think he represents everything that is bad about the Phantom Thieves and it's his actions (which were completely unasked for and unprompted) that leads the plot to the clusterfuck we're about to enter with Okamura's imminent death. Fuck the phansite and fuck this phuckboy.

BESIDES THAT

yeah he's a half-decent Moon? It's complicated, actually.

So his set up as the Moon is pitch-perfect. The Moon card is a place a person comes to after great upheaval in their life. It's a dark, quiet place for contemplation and reflection. Best case scenario is that it's a stepping stone in your journey towards the new dawn and the Sun.

But there are strange images in the reflection and the reflected light of the Sun in the Moon can lead a person astray and into madness.

Again: the Moon is an environment of possible madness. The Hanged Man is a risk taken that might led to madness. The Hanged Man goes into the deal eyes open, knowing the stakes. The Moon doesn't know the danger around them and has to keep from lingering.

So as the Moon, Mishima goes from being Kamoshida's punching bag into this dark, quiet place where he doesn't know what to do with himself, only that he needs a purpose. He settles on the Phansite.

Now, I think the game is arguing that running the Phansite gives Mishima direction and purpose, letting him move forward in his path.

I think that's undercut by how much the game itself points out Mishima's actions led to various fuck ups. Remember when Reverie had to be the one to tell him to give back the fucking money he'd collected from "donations"? Honestly, most of the conversations in this SLink are just trying to drag Mishima away from his worse impulses.

Which... also kinda works! I say the game's intended portrayal of the Moon is dumb, but my own is just as valid. I don't think Mishima has moved on and grown at all. I think he's been dazzled by the false, reflected light of the Moon (metaphorically, the allure of his nebulous fame re: the Phansite and his repeated misunderstanding of how to use it without being a malicious prick) and instead of continuing on his journey, he is staring slack-jawed into the illusion.

Sooooooooooo.... Nine out of ten, honestly!

But also I hate Mishima.

ONWARDS, INTO IMMINENT DISASTER!

[i-sveikata]

Do you think Pete's loyalty was lowered after learning Korn faked his death? Not only was it very horrible for his sons to experience but also a very brutal tactic to lure Gun into a major family home. Gun knew he was capable of this but still decided to attack. Did he knew about Namphueng? In the series it was shown that he was pretty surprised seeing her alive, so I wonder if you made more changes here. Also I'm curious if you decided who killed Porsche's parents (dad) which was left open ended in the series (no need to answer if it's too much of a spoiler 😅).

About the rings.. Are there only two, rings for minor and major family? If so how did Vegas have it, wasn't he only an heir unlike Kinn? If there were more rings it would make sense but I'm not sure which path you took. I've read some fics where there are more than one for each family.

In terms of Pete's loyalty he must have some negative emotions towards Kinn and Korn. I think he was ready to kill Gun anyway.

In the series Porsche takes the ring because they took it from Gun's dead body (which btw ew 💀).

I wonder if in their universe having the ring is like having a holy stick to all the power or is it more like a formality. This is nice because I've never read this kind of thing happening. Mostly it stayed with Vegas. If he was ready to die did he think Pete would rule the minor family? Or maybe he knew he would survive anyway and it was the safest place to keep it. I mean, I really like how you made it because even if the rings are not holy sticks it still holds a lot of meaning for them all. Which is insane!!

Obviously I have my own ideal ending but it requires one more person dead 👀

Considering it will take months for Vegas to recover - do you plan on doing any time skips? Or just the usual day to day or week narrative?

Please don't feel pressured into answering all of these. It's just my mind keeps wondering while I wait for my bus home from work 😅

I'm still in awe of all planning and world building. How it all makes sense. Not that I'm looking for loop holes 😅 it just shows the awesome skill you have!

Take care and happy Halloween 🙏❤️

hey there!!! i actually don't think that necessarily??? in my mind, even though pete knows he's loyal to the main family i can see him actually applying that loyalty to the specific people he actually deals with instead i.e, kinn, tankhun, chan. i think with his upbringing he would find it difficult to blindly put his trust into korn, a man who hes barely spoken to and hardly interacts with at all. so while yes he was disgusted with what korn did in terms of hurting his own family it didnt necessarily lower his feelings of loyalty because they werent particularly directed at korn in the first place??? if that makes sense. i think his loyalty took a much worse hit when he returned from the safehouse and kinn treated him badly after everything hed sacrificed.

hmm i dont actually think he did know about namphueng being alive? he defs didnt trust korn though he wasnt necessarily certain that hed faked his death either. but the coup was absolutely motivated by namphueng and how that situation was handled- it was less about the minor family feeling slighted like hed told vegas and always drilled into him, and more about how his obsession with nampheung meant that he could never let his resentment go until korn was out of the picture and hed honoured her even in death. but we also know that he never takes responsibility for his actions so of course he would blame korn for everything regardless of who was actually responsible.

i dont particularly have any interest in which one of them actually killed her husband tbh? i find its a good summation of their characters in the fact that you couldnt really trust either at their word and wed never quite know for certain who did it regardless of what they say

in my head there are two family rings and vegas only had it because that was his father's reward for the coup, like his coming of age moment was his father finally acknowledging him as a successor (and it was the only way he could sweeten the deal when vegas started to show reluctance for the coup because of pete. so his father threw in the two things he desperately wants, ceremonial acknowledgement of his power and place in the family, and a guarantee that he wont get any resistance from his father about his relationship with pete) so although things are still going to follow the show i.e korn promoting porsche to the head of the family (as a punishment to vegas and a way to try and keep pete from gaining power and authority) porsche still aint getting that ring (sorry porsche!) not because pete wouldnt give it if porsche asked but because of the messiness of the situation, porsche doesn't ask. doesnt actually want it.

haha holy stick of power lol but yeah kinda?? i take it as whoever wears the ring is the head of that family or is set to be the successor/is temporarily acting as the head (in the event of someone else being ill like korn was at the beginning when kinn took over)

so yes vegas was showing how seriously he values pete and i think hes also aware that pete would still treat his men decently in spite of their history and get them out alive so when he knew there was a likelihood of his own death he was both passing it on to pete and also knowing hed keep it safe (and maybe trusting hed give it to the right person if pete didnt end up wanting the responsibility himself). but not only that the ring also holds a very significant power for vegas, its a symbol of everything that he wants in life so for him to give it to pete even when he still chose in that moment to abandon him that was his way of signaling to pete his importance even in spite of vegas' actions. it was a very definite way of say i love you and i value you and thats exactly what pete picked up on when he realised what vegas had given him. and thats why he was thinking 'of course vegas has to give two answers'

yeah lol i kinda want korn dead for real too but we shall see if that actually comes to fruition in the story! hmm not too sure about the time jumps as of yet but i am going to focus on the current events following the aftermath because those will be important to the story itself. there will be a time skip of sorts because we should be shifting over into vegas POV in the next chap ish and thats going to take some time because he'll be seriously out of it on pain medication so hes not going to be entirely lucid for a while. the rest i am making it up as i go along so i will predict there will likely be time skips? will just have to see how it all fits really

oh no not at all!! i do like answering these questions and having a think about it i dont feel pressured :) hahahahahh thank you so much that's really nice!

happy halloween to you too!!

[nininehaaa]

ShAring is cAring- DICK AND JASONNN

‼️SMUT‼️

Your outfit:

"But Dickkk!"

"__ it's important for you to know everything before you go and do something stupid !"

"Okay fine I'll listen but hurry up we're going to be late"

You and Dick were in college, about to go to another great frat party,when all of a sudden he decided that he needed to make sure you weren't going to get into trouble.

(A/N Jason is the same age as Dick)

You rolled your eyes as he explained that you should always stick to his side just in case someone tried to do something to you.

Annoyed with his self bickering, you took his hand and dragged his m to the car.

"__ I wasn't finished talking!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the party:

You and Dick entered the room and you scanned the room for a certain person.

"__ stay here alright? I'm gonna go get us some drinks."

"Yeah yeah" you muttered .

"Having fun aren't you?"

You spun around to see Jason: Dick's younger brother.

You felt heat rush to your cheeks as he eyed you up and down in you skimpy little satin slip dress.

"Oh h-hey Jay" you stuttered nervously.

"Why you going all shy on me bunny? You know I don't bite."

"S-sry Jay m' just not used to the crowd "

"Uh huh" he nodded.

He suddenly shifted closer  to you, closing any gap in between you both.

"So, has Dick fucked you yet?"

"Uh-u-um " you spluttered

It's not like you were Dick's girlfriend anyway. You just knew each since you were kids and you trusted Dick with having sex with you.

"Aww that's sucks, thought I still stood a chance princess." He sighed with disappointment.

"No! no it-it's not like that we're just friends." You squeaked in haste.

You felt tears rush to your eyes at the thought of disappointing Jason, you knew he wanted to but you were too selfish to let him.

"Ah shit princess, it's fine okay? No tears mhm?"

"O-okay"

"Well aren't you two getting along "

Dick squeezed past a group of  frat boys and now stood in front of you and Jason .

“Dick don’t cause a scene “ you whispered, but It was no use. He was already death staring Jason.

“I thought I told you to back of my girl”

“Well she’s not exactly your girl is she?” He sneered.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Well if you didn’t notice, sweet little _ here was trying to prove that she wasn’t less than a minute ago.”

“Is that true doll?”

You looked down on your shoes in silence.

“Tell ya what Jason, I’ll let you fuck her , but I’ll be there, watching “

You looked at dick in surprise, and then to Jason expectantly.

He looked around for a minute while considering what to do. On one hand? This is probably the best chance at fucking you without being murdered at night. But on the other? You never know what Dick might try to pull.

“Sure, but JUST watching, okay?”

“Yeah whatever, I won’t hold my girl back from having a little fun”

You squealed and kissed Dick on his cheek.

“ you sure your gonna be fine?”

“Uh huh “

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In some random bedroom:

Jason slowly lowered you down on the bed, face first and ass in the air. He pulled the top half of your dress down and the bottom half up, so that it was bunched up around your waist.

He curled his fingers at the side of your thong and swiftly pulled them down.

The sound of a belt unbuckling rang through your ears.

“ you ready baby?”

“Mhm “ you moaned into the sheets.

He placed his cock at the entrance of your weeping hole before harshly shoving it inside of you.

Your muffled moans became louder and louder and he continued to abuse your tight little cunt.

Suddenly, you heard steps coming towards you and Jay.

“What the fuck dude? Thought we agreed you weren’t gonna do anything.”

“Well I lied okay? I thinks she’s had enough.”

“ mhmmm” you let out a mewl as Jason thrusted aggressively.

“ come on man, the poor thing’s just begging for cock.”

“ I guess this hole is open to use” as Dick lifted your head up and shoved his entire member into your throat

“Come on doll, deepthroat me good okay?”

They both suddenly picked up the pace, thrusting to match each other’s pattern.

They both let out low groans before shooting their loads into you.

You came shortly after, writhing and bucking your hips for stimulation.

“Fuck that was great” you panted

“What do you mean was? We’ve still got the whole night in front of us”

Dick chuckled.

[olyia-stories]

Let's get into this: my thoughts on the Siege of Macindaw: book 6 of the Rangers apprentice

Aww Will sneaking up on Gundar! I bet he's going to offer redemption for letting Buttle go in the form of storming the keep.

Lol Gundar mistaking Will for a ghost, I bet Will enjoyed that just a little.

HORACE!

So I know the studded leather is probably nothing more than set dressing, but as it's fairly useless to stud leather armor I think it's very funny that Buttle is wearing it. Just another sign of his incompetence.

Love Will!

Well Orman was a little slow on the draw, a ranger named Will. I thought he already figured it out. But he was almost dead for a little, I won't judge too harshly.

"He made the peace sign" ✌️

Oh. Ohhhh. "Is. That. Clear." Will became so intimidating so quickly.

Ok the plan to capture the scotti general, tactically sound. Although I don't know how many more stomachs the clearing can feed. Even with Orman helping.

Oh Will wasn't with Halt to see that the ranger thing can't scare people outside of their country, they don't know to be afraid.

Losing Machaddish is on you Will, never take your eye off the enemy before you've secured him.

Anyways, Will won't die today.

I'm so glad Horace is as smart and as loyal as he is. Things were looking dire for Will.

Will thinks it's no big deal that a Scotti got away, but want of a plot begs to differ.

It seems the clearing was ready for prisoners.

Lol the whole frightening MacHaddish scene is hilarious and devious. Who knew the healer could be so evil?

And then kicking off the platform boots

So they need a ton more men to infiltrate Macindaw, it's a good thing they happen to know a certain evil spirit that uses explosive powders to make a point.

Oof. Alyss coming in for the final blow against Kerens pride

I think Will's plan might actually work, but as there's still 200 pages left it can't work too well.

I wonder if Alyss saw the flare and if so what she thinks of it

And now for Will and Horace they get to hurry up and wait, I guess the army is the same no matter what universe you're in

"What rhymes with Macindaw?" Bro I love Horace so much!

Will LOVES ALYSS! he finally said it out loud! It just took the threat of death to admit it

And she doesn't think it really happened. Horace is right will need to come out and say it or they'll be stuck in this dance forever

"There weren't many fools in the Ranger corps, but he realized he just met one." WILL a savage!

I might have seen Will giving shadow to Trobar coming, but it was still hard to read

Ah a pretty girl like Delia, of course she got married while Will was away

Ooh self-proclaimed prophet ehh? I smell sequal bait!

BLESS HORACE! I love my meddling son

What a good ending to this book! They're so cute and will is growing up so fast! I already have the next book checked out from the library and hopefully it doesn't take me a whole 3 months to read the next one as it did this one

Thanks for reading my thoughts to the 5 people that keep liking these when I post them

[busterpoint]

PART 3 BAYBEE!!! I finished something, that's crazy right? The king of unfinished part 3's finishes a part 3?!?!? I can't wear this crown anymore!!

Anywho, it's again below the cut, the first two parts are close-by in my feed. Takes place during joyful.

---

Sunlight crept in to the little crevice they rested in. The crow watched the outside world. Unmoving with unblinking eyes. Nobody can see what those eyes look like behind the mask anyways. Not even he knew what color they were.

The cat had just started to wake. Greeted with stiff joints and sore spots from former burns and bruises that seemed to fade overnight. Sleeping on the ground wasn't ideal. However, it was still rest. Probably more comfortable than rotting flesh.

"Good morning, sunshine." The crow looked back, hearing the crackle of joints being revived with bodily oils. He wouldn't have said 'sunshine' normally, but... It felt right. "Ready to keep going? Or... Whatever you were up to."

"Me?" Asked the cat, sitting up. Excellent, he's feeling better. The crow nods. "Precisely. My last group... Abandoned me." The long pause was unnerving, but the crow hoped that he didn't read into him too far. "So where are we going?"

"To... Find Rando." The crow sighed, not realizing he held his breath until now. "Lead the way, Clint." The cat got up and the crow followed along. Maybe the fellow mask wearer would still be alive. No bodies as formidable as his were left in the mutant's wake, so he could see it happening.

They continued along, getting a running start as they passed over some seemingly endless pits. The cat seemed to be back... Not at full capacity, but at least enough to be able to run and jump for a short while. The crow picked up on a barely noticable limp, so clearly he wasn't 100% better. Unless he was always like that, the crow wouldn't know.

That's when a distant scene was unfolding. A man, just one who seemed to be tall and imposing hoisting something up a post. What heaved upwards was an omen of death. Black, red, and scarred tissue. Looming over in a manner akin to a skull when hung up by the esophagus, accordioning out like a flail. Eugh. He doesn't want to remember that. That was his fault too. The crow knows what death looks like, after all.

As they got closer, it was clear that whatever was being strung up wasn't hanged by the neck, but looked like a mutilated mess. The crow would assume it was a mutant, however it was hard to truly know. For all he could tell it was at best someone suffocating in a body bag with punctured lungs.

The cat started to rush nearer, far outpacing the crow. What for? He didn't quite put it together yet, but he was certain the way the man hid away after erecting such a sight meant somethi- Wait.

Wait wait wait. The man was hung by barbed wires, how barbaric. His poor face was cut beyond comprehension, stitched and scarred. His lips were lined with permanent slices that created a skullish smile. The way his chest rose and fell, that man was far from dead. He was just left there, and the cat was quick to start getting him down. Such savagery, and that was something coming from him.

"Rando!" He called out, his voice full of strain and anguish. The mutilated man replied. "C- Clint... You..?" What a meek little voice. That was Rando? He did look up to his admirable qualities, but the crow didn't expect that.

With their hair pinned up a shorter person ran into view. Must be the girl Buzzo mentioned, she had bandages around one eye and a nasty looking sword. He wouldn't want to be at the end of that, that's good. She held herself strongly, looking tough and battle hardened. She just watched, the crow felt unnerved in her presence.

"The barbwire won't hold me much l- longer..." Rando said, and it was true. It was starting to wobble a little, and the big man wasn't moving much. Being tied up and all too. "You need help getting him down Clint?!" The crow called up there, also to let the vicious girl know they meant no harm.

She probably was familiar or knew of Rando given whatever that was in former Randoland. You had to pass through there to get here. Maybe that bloodbath was because of her. Terrifying to think about. A single human passing through changing the tides of wars in mere seconds.

"I got- I got it Sergei!!!" Beneath the mask the crow rolled his eyes, hopping up to where the cat was. That man hadn't left. If anything, he was in for a surprise. "Alright well the she's here too. We should hurry up. I was given strict orders not to interfere. I'm helping whether you like it or not." The cat sighed, sounding rather irritated. "Let me get this damned thing undone from the rock first."

The crow quickly took over, nimble fingers making quick work of the knots and snags. The cat used the new length to lower Rando down. Slow and steady did it. Even if the wire was inching closer to breaking, the closer to the ground they got him the better. The girl's gaze burned into them, watching as they lowered him down.

The hiding man peeked out briefly only to hide again as soon as the crow caught it from the corner of his eye. The cat was occupied and his back was turned so he wouldn't have noticed. They might be here a while.

"You done yet? I need to get across." The girl called up towards them. "Have patience, and I'll give you something nice in return." The crow insisted, easing her posture. It wasn't much, but maybe she'd appreciate some fresh bandages? Or some marbles. Maybe a pendant? He wasn't about to give up his needles anytime soon though. As a crow does, he holds on to some shiny old trinkets. They were pretty. There's not many pretty things to look at anymore anyways.

After what seemed like forever, they had finally done it, cutting the remains of the wire so they could just drop it and call it quits for now. "I'll give you the prize in a second there, girl. Clint, you go get Rando. There's still one thing unaccounted for..." The cat made a break for it, not even waiting for him to finish his sentence either.

The crow readied a knitting needle in his hand. He watched the hiding man carefully, attempting to predict where his back was turned. Then, he lifted his mask and charged! He couldn't see him anymore, but he didn't need to. By the time the no-longer-hidden man had time to react, he was already ontop of him. Driving the needlepoint deep in his collarbone. "Too slow."

A resounding crunch filled the air, the world going silent.

The cat looked up, knowing enough about the crow to know that whatever happened was not pretty. It made him cringe to even hear it reverberate downwards. The girl seemed shocked as well. The man's head rolled from the crow's maw. Crimson spattering against the dusty ground.

The knife had returned to cut a chunk from the still warm corpse. He took a bite, chewing momentarily before spitting it out. "Not even worth the effort. A shame, really..." Removing the knitting needle, he licked the blood from it. "Even your blood is vile-" The crow spat it out. "- I can't bring myself to be covered in your scarlet tones."

The crow hopped down to avoid having to be around that putrid corpse any longer. "And your prize. Would you like bandages? Or maybe a necklace?" He grabbed out the two from his secret pocket, holding them im such a way that she could see both. The glittering gold chain of the necklace made him want to keep it. Alas, it was hers if she chose... But she chose the former, putting the clean bandages away. She passed by and climbed down to see Rando as well.

Something had changed, the crow wasn't sure... But it felt like the world had been interfered with by his presence. That maybe, if he weren't here none of this would have happened. He hoped that Clint had everything he needed. Sergei couldn't stay, as much as he wanted to.

So long Clint, Rando, girl. Sergei hoped that their paths may cross again, and that trail didn't end in his maw.